Stress and Health Interview for Primary Care Patients With Medically Unexplained Symptoms
Condition: Somatoform Disorders
MeSH terms: Medically Unexplained Symptoms; Somatoform Disorders
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The goal of this study is to test the feasibility and acceptability of providing an
      experiential assessment interview that targets emotional and stressful experiences in primary
      care. In this randomized, controlled trial, the investigators will compare an interview
      condition to a wait-list control condition. The investigators hypothesize that helping
      individuals first identify the links between their stress and symptoms will likely increase
      their awareness and endorsement of the link between stress and physical symptoms, including a
      willingness to engage in stress management techniques. It is also expected that helping raise
      an individual's awareness about their symptoms, followed by an experience and expression of
      unexpressed emotions is likely to influence their physical symptoms and psychological status.
    

Detailed description: 
      Emotional stress, particularly when a patients inhibits their experiences and feelings,
      contributes to physical symptoms. However, primary care patients with medically unexplained
      symptoms are rarely assessed for the stress and emotions in an comprehensive manner. The goal
      of this study is to test the feasibility and acceptability of providing an experiential
      assessment interview that targets emotional and stressful experiences in primary care with
      medically unexplained physical symptoms. In this randomized, controlled trial, the
      investigators will compare an interview condition to a wait-list control condition. The
      interview will review patients health history, psychosocial history, make links between the
      two, and help patients identify and express emotions related to conflicts or victimization.
      The investigators hypothesize that helping individuals first identify the links between their
      stress and symptoms will likely increase their awareness and endorsement of the link between
      stress and physical symptoms, including a willingness to engage in stress management
      techniques. It is also expected that helping raise an individual's awareness about their
      symptoms, followed by an experience and expression of unexpressed emotions is likely to
      influence their physical symptoms and psychological status.
    

Intervention name(s): Stress and Health Interview
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): A stress and health interview which aims to help patients: a) disclose their stressful experiences and emotional conflicts, which might be contributing to their symptoms; b) learn about associations between their stress and physical symptoms; and c) learn about the potential value of experiencing and expressing their emotions related to these stressful situations.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUPS); Somatoform disorders; Chronic pain; Somatic symptoms; Emotional processing; Primary Care