Relaxation and Imagery for Chronic, Nonmalignant Pain: Effects on Pain Symptoms, Quality of Life, and Mental Health

Nonpharmacologic treatments are being increasingly adopted as alternative or primary approaches to chronic pain management. We present results of a pilot study examining the effect of a 6-week combined abbreviated progressive relaxation technique (APRT) and guided imagery (GI) intervention for the m...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pain management nursing 2010-09, Vol.11 (3), p.159-168
Main Authors: Chen, Yi Ling (Elaine), Francis, Andrew J.P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Analysis of Variance
Anxiety-Depression
Attitude to Health
Chronic Disease
Chronic pain
Combined Modality Therapy
Female
Guided imagery
Humans
Imagery (Psychotherapy) - education
Imagery (Psychotherapy) - methods
Male
Mental Health
Middle Aged
Nursing
Nursing Evaluation Research
Nursing Methodology Research
Pain - diagnosis
Pain - etiology
Pain - prevention & control
Pain - psychology
Pain Measurement
Pilot Projects
Qualitative Research
Quality of life
Quality of Life - psychology
Relaxation
Relaxation Therapy - education
Relaxation Therapy - methods
Relaxation Therapy - nursing
Relaxation Therapy - psychology
Surveys and Questionnaires
Treatment Outcome
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Nonpharmacologic treatments are being increasingly adopted as alternative or primary approaches to chronic pain management. We present results of a pilot study examining the effect of a 6-week combined abbreviated progressive relaxation technique (APRT) and guided imagery (GI) intervention for the management of chronic pain (N = 19) and, using power analysis, explore recommended sample sizes for future clinical trials. Results indicated consistent and clinically significant trends of improvement on pain (McGill Pain Questionnaire, visual analog scale), mental health (Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale), all domains of quality of life (RAND-36 Health Survey), and sleep for the treatment group only. Owing to inadequate power in this study, these results were not statistically significant. Methodologic concerns, along with suggestions for an improved intervention protocol, are discussed. It is concluded that there is strong preliminary evidence for the efficacy of APRT and GI as an adjunct to conventional treatment options for chronic pain.
ISSN:1524-9042
1532-8635
DOI:10.1016/j.pmn.2009.05.005