Objectives: Intensive interdisciplinary chronic pain treatment programs have demonstrated that pain acceptance predicts positive treatment outcomes, but limited research has focused on less-intensive programs. This study aimed to examine associations between changes in pain acceptance and pain interference among youth participating in an outpatient interdisciplinary chronic pain treatment program.
Design: Youth presenting to an evaluation within an interdisciplinary outpatient pediatric chronic pain program completed questionnaires at initial program evaluation (T1) and three months later (T2).
Main outcome measures: Youth (N = 94, Mage = 14.59 years, 74% female) completed the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire, Adolescent Version (CPAQ-A) and PROMIS Pediatric Pain Interference scale.
Results: Pain acceptance increased significantly from T1 to T2 (p=.001), driven primarily by activity engagement (p=.001). Pain interference decreased from T1 to T2 (p<.001). Improvements in acceptance were strongly associated with reductions in interference (p<.001). An exploratory cross-lagged structural equation model revealed a number of direct and indirect effects between pain acceptance and pain interference at T1 and T2.
Conclusion: Pain acceptance and interference improved after three months in an outpatient chronic pain treatment program. Improvements in acceptance were strongly related to reductions in interference. Future research should examine these relationships over longer periods, in larger samples.
Keywords: Chronic pain; acceptance; pain interference; pediatric.