Evaluation of emotion-centric psychological interventions for chronic pain: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

IntroductionChronic pain, defined as pain persisting longer than 3 months, is more than an unpleasant sensory experience. Persistent negative emotions and emotional comorbidities, such as depression and anxiety, plague people with chronic pain leading to worsening pain intensity and increasing disability. While cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is the gold standard psychological treatment, recent evidence highlights that CBT lacks efficacy for the physical and emotional aspects of chronic pain. Increasingly, researchers are investigating emotion-centric psychological therapies. While treatment modalities vary, these interventions frequently target understanding emotions, and train individuals for an emotionally adaptive response. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to quantify the efficacy of emotion-centric interventions for the physical and emotional characteristics of chronic pain. Methods/analysisElectronic databases (EMBASE, PubMed, PsychINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL and Web of Science) will be systematically searched from inception to 28 April 2022 for randomised controlled trials. Studies that compare an emotion-centric intervention with another form of treatment or placebo/control for adults (>= 18 years old) with chronic pain will be included. All treatment modes (eg, online or in-person), any duration and group-based or individual treatments will be included. Studies that do not investigate at least one emotion-centric treatment will be excluded. The primary outcome is pain intensity. Secondary outcomes include emotion dysregulation, depression, anxiety, affect, safety and intervention compliance. A quantitative synthesis using a random effects meta-analysis will be adopted. Risk of bias will be evaluated using Cochrane Risk of Bias V.2.0 with the certainty of evidence assessed according to Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation. Data permitting, subgroup analysis will be conducted for intervention type and pain condition. Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is not required for this systematic review. Results may inform an efficacy study examining a new emotion-centric intervention for chronic pain. Dissemination will be through peer-reviewed publications and in conference presentations.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42021266815.

Automated summary

This systematic review aims to quantify the efficacy of emotion-centric interventions for the physical and emotional characteristics of chronic pain. Various forms of psychological treatments will be systematically evaluated and synthesized. The results of this study may inform the development of new emotion-centric interventions for chronic pain.