Are Formal and Informal Home Mindfulness Practice Quantities Associated With Outcomes? Results From a Pilot Study of a Four-Week Mindfulness Intervention for Chronic Pain Management.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Single-arm pre-post pilot study without a control group
PubMed 38434590 · doi:10.1177/27536130241236775
What was done
In a single-arm pilot study, 21 adults with chronic pain (mean age 54 years, 81% White, mean pain duration 7 years) completed an abbreviated 4-week mindfulness-based intervention with weekly group sessions. Participants completed pre- and post-intervention self-report assessments (PROMIS measures for pain intensity/interference, physical function, depression, anxiety, positive affect, and sleep disturbance, alongside pain acceptance, catastrophizing, perceived stress, and mindfulness) and daily tracking of formal and informal home practice. Bivariate correlations and multivariable regressions evaluated associations between home practice quantity (days and minutes) and pre-to-post outcome changes.
What was found
Participants averaged 4.3 days per week and 13.5 minutes per day of formal practice, and 3.5 days per week and 8.6 minutes per day of informal practice. Formal practice was not significantly correlated with outcome changes (Spearman's rho = |.01| to |.32|). In contrast, informal practice was correlated with multiple outcomes (rho = |.04| to |.66|). Number of informal practice days was significantly associated with improvements in pain interference, physical function, sleep disturbance, and catastrophizing (all p <= .05). Number of informal practice minutes was significantly associated with improvements in pain interference, anxiety, positive affect, and catastrophizing (all p <= .05).
Why it matters
These findings suggest that for abbreviated mindfulness interventions, integrating informal mindfulness into daily activities may be more clinically meaningful than formal guided practice duration for chronic pain management.
Limits
The study is limited by a very small sample size (n = 21), a single-arm pre-post design with no control comparator, and a predominantly White demographic (81%). All practice durations and clinical outcomes relied on self-report, and multiple exploratory comparisons were conducted without adjustment for multiplicity.