Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2011 Oct;27(8):724-34.
doi: 10.1097/AJP.0b013e3182183c6e.

Comparing the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction and multidisciplinary intervention programs for chronic pain: a randomized comparative trial

Samuel Yeung-Shan Wong  1 , Frank Wan-Kin Chan, Rebecca Lai-Ping Wong, Ming-Chi Chu, Yu-Yuk Kitty Lam, Stewart W Mercer, S Helen Ma
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Comparing the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction and multidisciplinary intervention programs for chronic pain: a randomized comparative trial

Samuel Yeung-Shan Wong et al. Clin J Pain. 2011 Oct.

Abstract

Objectives: Research suggests that an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program (a structured form of meditation) might be effective in the treatment of various health problems including chronic pain. Our objective was to compare the clinical effectiveness of the MBSR program with a multidisciplinary pain intervention (MPI) program in terms of pain intensity, pain-related distress, quality of life, and mood in patients with chronic pain.

Methods: A randomized, comparative clinical trial was conducted, including 6-month posttreatment follow-up. Ninety-nine participants, aged 24 to 64 years, with pain for a minimum of 3 months, were recruited from community-based clinics, hospitals, and community service centers. Participants were randomly allocated to either the MBSR program (51 participants) or a MPI program (48 participants). The study used validated Chinese versions of self-reported questionnaires measuring pain, mood symptoms, and health-related quality of life.

Results: Thirty-nine participants (77%) completed the MBSR program and 44 (90%) completed the MPI program. Patients in both the groups were comparable with regard to demographical characteristics, pain intensity, mood symptoms, and health-related quality-of-life measures before intervention. In both the groups, patients who completed the trial demonstrated statistically significant improvements in pain intensity and pain-related distress. However, no statistically significant differences were observed in overall results between the MBSR and MPI groups.

Conclusions: This randomized, clinical trial showed that both MBSR and MPI programs reduced pain intensity and pain-related distress although no statistically significant differences were observed between the 2 groups and the improvements were small.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources