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  • Title: Specific and general therapeutic mechanisms in cognitive behavioral treatment of chronic pain.
    Author: Burns JW, Nielson WR, Jensen MP, Heapy A, Czlapinski R, Kerns RD.
    Journal: J Consult Clin Psychol; 2015 Feb; 83(1):1-11. PubMed ID: 24979313.
    Abstract:
    OBJECTIVE: Many studies document efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for chronic pain, but few studies have examined potential treatment mechanisms. In analyses of data from a controlled trial, we examined whether changes in attitudes toward adopting a pain self-management approach-CBT-specific mechanisms-and quality of working alliance and patient expectations-general mechanisms-early in treatment were related to later-treatment changes in outcomes. METHOD: Our sample was composed of 94 adults (primarily White; mean age: 55.3 years, SD = 11.7; 23% female) who participated in enhanced or standard CBT, and completed measures of attitudes toward self-management (mechanisms), pain intensity, pain interference, depressive symptoms and goal accomplishment (outcomes) at pretreatment, 4- and 8-week assessments, and posttreatment. Working alliance was measured at 4 and 8 weeks, and patient expectations at 3 weeks. RESULTS: Because the CBT conditions produced comparable improvements, we combined them. Precontemplation and action attitudes toward pain self-management showed significant quadratic trends over assessments such that 67% and 94.1% (respectively) of total pre-post changes occurred in the first 4 weeks. Outcomes showed only significant linear trends. Cross-lagged regressions revealed that pretreatment-to-4-week changes in action attitudes and 4-week levels of working alliance were related significantly with 4-week-to-posttreatment changes in pain intensity and interference but not vice versa and that 3-week patient expectations were related to 4-week-to-posttreatment changes in interference. Analyses in which mechanism factors were entered simultaneously revealed nonsignificant unique effects on outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Adopting an action attitude early in treatment may represent a specific CBT mechanism but with effects held largely in common with 2 general mechanisms.
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