Managing Chronic Pain Through Self-Help
CompletedNot applicableNCT03711851
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Brief summary (from the registry)
Chronic pain has a significant impact on the physical and emotional functioning of those living with this condition. It is now recognized that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an effective treatment in managing chronic pain; however, several barriers limit its accessibility. Therefore, self-help versions of ACT are promising because they offer a cost-effective treatment option that usually require little support from a therapist, and can be widely accessed. The current study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of predominantly self-help ACT interventions (web-based and bibliotherapy programs) in comparison to an education intervention among adults living with chronic pain. The current study was a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with two experimental groups and an active control group. The first experimental group received access to an internet platform with videos, interactive content and exercises based on ACT. The second experimental group received a copy of a self-help book based on ACT for chronic pain and had access to this book's website which includes audio mindfulness exercises. The third group consisted of an active control group, in which participants received pamphlet style pdf documents of education for pain (without any ACT components) as well as related practical exercises.
Study details
- Official title
- Managing Chronic Pain Through Self-Help: A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Guided Self-Help Programs Based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to Education
- Conditions
- Interventions
- Behavioral: Self-help Acceptance and commitment therapy (Web-based)
- Behavioral: Self-help Acceptance and commitment therapy (bibliotherapy)
- Other: Self-help Education pamphlets on pain (active control group)
- Sponsor
- Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
- Collaborators
- Quebec Pain Research Network; Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec
- Start date
- 2018-10-01
- Primary completion
- 2019-06-27
- Sex
- All
- Age range
- from 18 Years
- Healthy volunteers
- true
- Results posted
- No results posted in this snapshot
- Countries
- Canada
- Total sites listed
- 1
Eligibility criteria
Show eligibility criteria (verbatim from the registry)
Inclusion criteria: 1. Being 18 years or older; 2. Residing in Canada; 3. Having daily pain for at least 6 months; 4. Having a reading and writing ability equivalent or superior to grade 8; 5. Having access to internet at home and a valid e-mail address; 6. Not having previously engaged in an ACT-based psychotherapy and/or regularly meditated and/or read "Libérez-vous de la douleur" by Frédérick Dionne; 7. Not being in an unstable psychological situation (severe suicidal thoughts or severe/persistent mental health disorder); 8. Having an average level of pain of at least 4/10 within the past week; 9. Having non-cancer related pain; 10. Having stable medication for at least one month. Participants were excluded if they did not meet any of the above criteria.
Canadian sites (1)
| Facility | City | Province |
|---|---|---|
| Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières | Trois-Rivières | Quebec |
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov (US National Library of Medicine), snapshot October 2026. Check the registry for current recruiting status. Record: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03711851