Are positive psychology interventions efficacious in chronic pain treatment? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Braunwalder, Céline; Müller, Rachel; Glisic, Marija; Fekete, Christine (2022). Are positive psychology interventions efficacious in chronic pain treatment? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Pain medicine, 23(1), pp. 122-136. Oxford University Press 10.1093/pm/pnab247

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OBJECTIVE

Although positive psychology interventions are increasingly popular in chronic pain treatment their efficacy is still unclear. The objective is to summarize evidence on the effect of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) on pain, physical functioning, and emotional functioning in adults with chronic pain.

METHODS

Four electronic databases and additional references were searched for randomized controlled trials published between 1990 and 2020. Findings from included studies were qualitatively and quantitatively synthesized, and study quality was assessed for risk of bias. A random effects meta-analysis model was applied for outcomes with more than four findings.

RESULTS

Of 16 included randomized controlled trials, almost half delivered positive psychology interventions as self-help online interventions, and half conducted guided face-to-face interventions which lasted mostly eight weeks. Results from meta-analysis showed beneficial effects of positive psychology interventions compared to the control group on pain intensity and emotional functioning (i.e., less depressive symptoms, pain catastrophizing, negative affect; more positive affect) post-intervention. At 3-month follow-up, beneficial effects were maintained for depressive symptoms and positive and negative affect, but not for pain catastrophizing. However, the evidence on the long-term efficacy of PPIs and the efficacy of PPIs on physical functioning remains limited.

CONCLUSION

This review supports the notion that positive psychology interventions are beneficial to chronic pain treatment, although further, high quality research is needed to support this conclusion.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM)

UniBE Contributor:

Glisic, Marija

Subjects:

600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health
300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology > 360 Social problems & social services

ISSN:

1526-4637

Publisher:

Oxford University Press

Language:

English

Submitter:

Andrea Flükiger-Flückiger

Date Deposited:

12 Aug 2021 19:21

Last Modified:

24 Jan 2023 09:30

Publisher DOI:

10.1093/pm/pnab247

PubMed ID:

34347095

Uncontrolled Keywords:

Positive psychology chronic pain meta-analysis randomized controlled trials systematic review

BORIS DOI:

10.48350/158027

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/158027

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