Are Positive Psychology Interventions Efficacious in Chronic Pain Treatment? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

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

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) Mass.), 2022-01, Vol.23 (1), p.122-136
Main Authors: Braunwalder, Céline, Müller, Rachel, Glisic, Marija, Fekete, Christine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Care and treatment
Chronic pain
Chronic Pain - psychology
Chronic Pain - therapy
Clinical trials
Emotions
Evaluation
Humans
Mental depression
Meta-analysis
Pain
Pain management
Pain Management - methods
Psychology, Positive
Psychotherapy
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
Systematic review
Testing
Therapeutics, Experimental
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Summary:Abstract Objective Although positive psychology interventions (PPIs) are increasingly popular in chronic pain treatment their efficacy is still unclear. The objective is to summarize evidence on the effect of 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 (RCTs) 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 RCTs, almost half delivered PPIs 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 PPIs 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. Conclusions This review supports the notion that PPIs are beneficial to chronic pain treatment, although further, high quality research is needed to support this conclusion.
ISSN:1526-2375
1526-4637
DOI:10.1093/pm/pnab247