Author: Chadi N1, McMahon A2, Vadnais M3, Malboeuf-Hurtubise C4, Djemli A3, Dobkin PL3, Lacroix J3, Luu TM3, Haley N5
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>Departments of Pediatrics, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Clinical Biochemistry, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Quebec; Department of Adolescent Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario.
<sup>2</sup>Department of Psychiatry, Sherbrooke University Hospital Centre, Sherbrooke, Quebec.
<sup>3</sup>Departments of Pediatrics, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Clinical Biochemistry, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Quebec.
<sup>4</sup>Department of Educational Sciences, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Gatineau, Quebec.
<sup>5</sup>Departments of Pediatrics, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Clinical Biochemistry, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Quebec; Montreal Public Health Department, Montreal, Quebec.
Conference/Journal: J Can Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry.
Date published: 2016 Fall
Other:
Volume ID: 25 , Issue ID: 3 , Pages: 159-168 , Word Count: 248
OBJECTIVE: To test the feasibility of a randomized-controlled trial measuring the impact of an adapted mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) in female adolescents with chronic pain.
METHODS: This was a single center, single-blind, prospective, experimental, longitudinal trial conducted in a pediatric tertiary care center. Participants had a history of chronic pain during at least three months. They were randomized into an intervention group or a wait-list control group. Both groups successively followed an adapted eight-week MBI designed specifically for adolescents with chronic pain. Pre-determined criteria were established to assess the feasibility, validity and acceptability of the study model. Data evaluating changes in quality of life, depression, anxiety, pain perception, psychological distress and salivary cortisol were collected throughout the 4-month study period.
RESULTS: Nineteen female participants completed the study and had a mean age of 15.8 years (range 13.9 -17.8). Attrition rate was low (17%). Attendance to mindfulness sessions (84%) and compliance to study protocol (100%) were high. All participants reported a positive change in the way they coped with pain. No changes in quality of life, depression, anxiety, pain perception, and psychological distress were detected. Significant reductions in pre-and post-mindfulness session salivary cortisol levels were observed (p<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: Mindfulness is a promising therapeutic approach for which limited data exist in adolescents with chronic pain. Our study indicates the feasibility of conducting such interventions in teenage girls. A large trial is needed to demonstrate the efficacy and bio-physiological impacts of MBIs in teenagers with chronic pain.
KEYWORDS: adolescent; chronic pain; feasibility; mindfulness; pilot; randomized
PMID: 27924146