NCT02859545

Study to Understand Pain Experiences in Relationships

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 80 (actual)
• Sponsor: Wayne State University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Chronic pain is a highly prevalent and costly health care problem. Yet, little is known about the optimal ways for health care providers and family members to respond to the distress expressed by people with chronic pain. The aim of the current study is to compare two models of responsiveness to identify responses that result in better functioning and adjustment. An experimental design will be used to test the extent to which emotional validation (e.g., an empathic response to distress) increases or decreases pain behaviors during physical activity. Romantic partners of individuals with chronic pain will be randomly assigned to receive validation or control training. Following training, people with chronic pain and their partners will engage in a discussion about pain and complete household tasks to examine the effects of partner training on communication, pain intensity, and pain behavior. Additionally, each individual in the couple will complete self-report measures after the discussion, after the household tasks, and one-month following the laboratory visit.

Conditions

• Chronic Pain

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Emotional Validation Training for Romantic Partners	In this intervention, romantic partners of individuals with chronic pain are trained individually by a research assistant. The romantic partner is trained on how to validate the individual with chronic pain's pain-related distress and given education about validation. This involves an approximately 45-minute brief, interactive training.
BEHAVIORAL	Chronic Pain Education Training for Romantic Partners	In this intervention, romantic partners of individuals with chronic pain are trained individually by a research assistant. The romantic partner is trained on how to ask health professionals questions about treatment options and given health education about chronic pain. This involves an approximately 45-minute brief, interactive training.

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-07-01
• Primary completion: 2017-12-01
• Completion: 2018-06-01
• First posted: 2016-08-09
• Last updated: 2019-04-23

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States