Telephone Intervention for Pain Study (TIPS) (TIPS)
Chronic Pain, Multiple Sclerosis, Amputation
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Chronic Pain
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Definitive diagnosis of acquired amputation (AMP), multiple sclerosis (MS), or spinal cord injury (SCI) confirmed by participants' primary care physicians
- Average pain intensity in the past month of greater than 3 on 0-10 numeric rating scale;
- Pain is either worse or started since the onset of the disability;
- Pain of at least six months duration, with pain reportedly present greater than or equal to half of the days in the past six months;
- Read, write and understand English;
- Must be able to communicate over the phone (i.e., must be verbal);
- Age 18 years or older.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Cognitive impairment defined as one or more errors on the Six-Item screener (Callahan et al., 2002).
- Current or previous participation in a psychological treatment for pain (obtained via self-report).
- Current participation in a psychological treatment for any reason on a regular basis(obtained via self-report).
Sites / Locations
- University of Washington
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Experimental
1
2
Intervention 1 will consist of eight 60-minute sessions conducted by phone over eight weeks (1 session/week on average). Intervention 1 will include: (1) education about the role of cognitions (particularly catastrophizing) and pain beliefs (including control) in chronic pain and adjustment; (2) instruction in how to identify negative thinking and cognitive distortions about pain; (3) instruction in thought-stopping and cognitive-restructuring techniques, including challenging negative thoughts and core beliefs about pain; (4) instruction in utilization of positive coping self-statements; (5) relaxation techniques; (6) activity pacing and scheduling; (7) coping with pain flare-ups; and (8) relapse prevention/maintenance of gains. Each intervention 1 session will include a brief relaxation exercise practiced over the phone.
Intervention 2 will consist of eight 60-minute sessions conducted by phone over eight weeks (1 session/week on average), scheduled at times convenient for participants (including evenings and weekends if necessary). The sessions will cover a variety of topics, including the definition of chronic pain, the physiological processes underlying chronic pain, common pain-related conditions such as sleep disturbance, and the effects of chronic pain.