Clinical trial NCT03647683: Self-Compassion and Acute Pain
Official title: Self-Compassion and Acute Pain - an Experimental Investigation
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Acute Pain
Lead sponsor: Philipps University Marburg
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2018-08-27
Enrollment: 120
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Participants are randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups in parallel for the duration of the study
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: Research on self-compassion suggests its impact in the context of pain. In the current study, the investigators evaluate a short self-compassion intervention for coping with acute pain.

Detailed description: Self-compassion comprises three components: self-kindness, common humanity and mindfulness. Empirical evidence shows the relevance of self-compassion in the context of negative emotions such as depression, anxiety and anger. Research on chronic pain is promising yet limited. Self-compassion is associated with better pain-coping, pain-acceptance and quality of life, as well as reduced pain-related disability and burdening emotions. Experimental investigations on induced pain are missing. The aim of the current study is to evaluate a short self-compassion intervention for pain.

First, a heat stimulus is induced to all participants which is to be tolerated as long as possible and evaluated in intensity and unpleasantness. Next, participants receive a coping-strategy which they are randomly assigned to. Three different strategies are evaluated: (1) self-compassion, treating oneself with kindness while being mindfully aware of the painful stimulus, (2) acceptance, accepting the painful stimulus as well as pain-related thoughts, not trying to change, (3) distraction, distracting oneself from the painful stimulus and trying not to perceive the pain or painful thoughts. Participants practice the strategy with the painful heat stimulus three times. Then, they receive another heat stimulus which is to be tolerated as long as possible and evaluated. During the next week, participants obtain daily practices via e-mail for further fostering of the learned strategy. Finally, participants receive, tolerate and evaluate pain again in the laboratory.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* sufficient german language knowledge
* at least 18 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

* acute or chronic pain conditions
* drug or pain-medication (last 24 hours)
* Raynaud's disease
* high blood pressure
* neuropathy, coronary diseases
* diabetes, current alcohol
* studying psychology longer than two years

Primary outcomes:
measure: Individual heat pain tolerance
timeFrame: Baseline, 45 min, 1 week
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Pain intensity
timeFrame: Baseline, 45 min, 1 week
measure: Change in pain unpleasantness scale
timeFrame: Baseline, 45 min, 1 week
measure: Change in self-compassion
timeFrame: Baseline, 45 min, 1 week
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Marburg
country: Germany
facility: Philipps-University of Marburg
state: Hessen
Study officials:
affiliation: Philipps University Marburg
name: Anja C Schmitt
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: