NCT04107519

Goal-Directed Resilience Training to Mitigate Chronic Pain in Former Football Players

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 40 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Morehouse School of Medicine · Academic / Other
• Sex: Male
• Age: 18 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The investigators propose to test a pilot study that teaches resilience skills to former football players who experience chronic pain. The purpose of this study is to see if learning resilience skills makes a difference in how former players manage chronic pain. This pilot study may advance methods to improve the well-being and quality of life of former players affected by pain.

Detailed description

This pilot study seeks to test the efficacy of a resilience skills training intervention for former football players who experience chronic pain. Chronic pain threatens quality of life, and the culture of elite athletes is poorly adapted to the chronic condition of pain. Innovative strategies that are both culturally acceptable and effective are needed to address the needs of players who may have a reluctance to engage traditional treatment approaches. The overarching goal is to strengthen the capacity for former football players to maintain adaptive engagement in valued activities despite chronic pain. Responding to recent findings from the Harvard Football Player Health Study (HFPHS) that identified pain as a significant challenge, we propose a pilot study that tests a resilience skills training intervention with former football players who currently experience chronic pain. This proposed study builds on previous work conducted at Morehouse School of Medicine engaging retired professional football players and ongoing resilience intervention research involving veteran and community-based populations. The specific aim of this study is to test an intervention to decrease chronic pain and co-morbid symptoms and improve a broader adaptive level of functioning through Goal-Directed Resilience Training (GRIT) for chronic pain in a sub-sample of Atlanta-based former players. The investigators hypothesize the following: 1. GRIT training intervention versus control training will be associated with reduced chronic pain and related symptoms of insomnia, anxiety, depression, improved emotional functions, and improved neurocognitive functions. 2. Improved self-reported physical health, quality of life, personal relationships, and personal growth will be evident for intervention versus control participants. This pilot study has the potential to advance strategies to improve the well-being and functional status of former players impacted by pain.

Conditions

• Chronic Pain

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Goal-Directed Resilience Training	This pilot study seeks to test the efficacy of a resilience skills training intervention for former football players who experience chronic pain. Between 20 to 48 eligible and consented participants from the Atlanta area will be identified (with a goal of 40 completing the study). They will undergo a pre-training test session and will then be randomized to either the Immediate GRIT (ImT) training intervention or the Delayed Training (DeT) control. The immediate (ImT) group will be trained for 4 weeks with 2 biweekly sessions. At the end of GRIT training they will be post-tested. The delayed (DeT) group wait during these 4 weeks and do not receive training. At the end of the 4-week waiting period, they will also be post-tested. At this point, they will be offered GRIT training for 4 weeks with 2 biweekly sessions. At the end of their training, they will be given a second post-testing. This process will then be repeated for two additional groups of 5-12 lmT and 5-12 DeT participants.

Timeline

• Start date: 2019-08-14
• Primary completion: 2023-06-30
• Completion: 2023-06-30
• First posted: 2019-09-27
• Last updated: 2022-08-24

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States