Effects of Eight-Week-Web-Based Mindfulness Training on Pain Intensity,Pain Acceptance,and Life Satisfaction in Individuals With Chronic Pain

Abstract

This study examined the effects of an eight-week-web-based mindfulness program designed for individuals with chronic pain. A sample of 107 participants with chronic pain (M = 51.0 years, SD = 9.3) were randomly assigned to a treatment group and a control group. The mindfulness program involved 20 minutes of training per day, six days a week, for eight weeks. During this period, the control group was invited to an online discussion forum involving pain-related topics. A total of 77 participants completed the postintervention assessment (n = 36 in the treatment group, n = 41 in the control group). The group assigned to mindfulness training showed increased mindfulness skills (Cohen’s d = 1.18), reduced pain intensity (d = 0.47–0.82), reduced pain-related interference/suffering (d = 0.39–0.85), heightened pain acceptance (d = 0.66), reduced affective distress (d = 0.67), and higher ratings of life satisfaction (d = 0.54) following the training with no or minor changes up for the control group (d values 0.01–0.23), a pattern substantiated by significant group-by-time interactions. Despite limitations of this study, including a less than ideal control group to isolate effects of mindfulness and lack of a long-term follow-up, the results appear promising and may motivate further investigations.