Touch therapies for pain management and stress reduction.

In looking toward the future, additional treatment approaches need to be implemented and evaluated for the older population. This chapter critically examines two interventions that have demonstrated effectiveness with adults, but that have limited implementation and evaluation with older adults. These two approaches, mindfulness-based stress reduction and behavior activation, are presented as emerging therapies that hold promise for older adults in critical areas of later life such as depression, pain management, and decreasing social isolation. The literature on effectiveness with the non-aging population is summarized, and the existing studies with older adults are presented. In addition, modifications that are appropriate for older clients are included.

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Feasibility and Acceptability of an Abbreviated, Four-Week Mindfulness Program for Chronic Pain Management

Pain Medicine ◽

10.1093/pm/pnaa208 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (11) ◽

pp. 2799-2810 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Carrie E Brintz ◽

Isabel Roth ◽

Keturah Faurot ◽

Sanjana Rao ◽

Susan A Gaylord

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Pain Management ◽

Stress Reduction ◽

Physical Functioning ◽

Well Being ◽

Post Treatment ◽

Mindfulness Practice ◽

Dispositional Mindfulness ◽

Patient Reported ◽

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

Abstract Objective The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program is effective at improving chronic pain outcomes, but the time demand hinders participation. This preliminary study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effects of providing an abbreviated mindfulness program for patients with chronic pain. Design A single-arm, mixed-methods, pre–post intervention study. Setting An outpatient rehabilitation clinic at an academic medical center. Subjects Participants were N = 23 adults with chronic pain who were new to mindfulness practice. Methods Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction was adapted to shorten the program to four weekly 90-minute sessions and to focus content on pain management. Three cohorts of six to nine participants completed baseline and post-treatment measures of 1) patient-reported outcomes, including pain intensity, pain interference, physical functioning, depressive/anxiety symptoms, positive affect and well-being, and sleep disturbance; 2) pain medication dosages; 3) psychosocial variables including pain acceptance, pain catastrophizing, and perceived stress; 4) dispositional mindfulness, as well as postintervention structured interviews about their experiences. Results Acceptable rates of retention and attendance and high ratings of satisfaction indicated that the intervention was feasible and acceptable. In interviews, participants found the program acceptable and beneficial and provided suggestions to improve it. From pre- to post-treatment, significant improvements were reported in all measures except physical functioning and anxiety. Conclusions In adults with chronic pain, a four-week mindfulness program is feasible and acceptable, addresses the barrier of a lengthy program, and may improve quality of life and psychological functioning. An appropriately powered randomized controlled trial with a comparison group is needed to assess the intervention’s effectiveness.

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