For immediate release: January 22, 2014
Contact: Chuck Weber – 262.473.3018

News from The Journal of Pain

Study Shows Pain Coping Success with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

CHICAGO, Jan. 22, 2014 — In the latest research showing benefits achieved by multidisciplinary pain management, a study published in The Journal of Pain reported that a cognitive-behavioral treatment approach, called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), improves quality of life for individuals with persistent pain by significantly reducing disability, depression and pain-related anxiety. The Journal of Pain is published by the American Pain Society, www.americanpainsociety.org.

The primary treatment process for ACT is psychological flexibility, or a willingness to experience pain when pain-control efforts are ineffective or impair everyday functioning. Researchers at the University of New Mexico sought to examine individual patterns of change during ACT treatment using a multilevel mediation model, which tested the association between psychological flexibility and treatment outcomes over time. The study also evaluated the reliability and clinical significance of ACT.

The authors hypothesized that treatment completers would experience improvement in physical and emotional functioning, reduce their healthcare utilization and analgesic use, and be able to increase their physical movement. Seventy-eight patients provided data in surveys.

Results showed that 46 percent of patients achieved significant improvement in disability, depression and pain-related anxiety and 58 percent achieved reliable change in at least one area of functionality. The authors concluded their results indicate that, at completion of treatment and after three months, a significant proportion of patients were functioning reasonably well. This supports an approach to treating chronic pain that focuses on helping patients live better with pain.

About the American Pain Society

Based in Chicago, the American Pain Society (APS) is a multidisciplinary community that brings together a diverse group of scientists, clinicians and other professionals to increase the knowledge of pain and transform public policy and clinical practice to reduce pain-related suffering. APS was founded in 1978 with 510 charter members. From the outset, the group was conceived as a multidisciplinary organization. The Board of Directors includes physicians, nurses, psychologists, basic scientists, pharmacists, policy analysts and others. For more information on APS, visit www.americanpainsociety.org.