Benefit of Mindfulness on Pain Attenuation

¶ … Mindfulness Meditation Training on Experimentally Induced Pain" by Zeidan et al., (2010), published in the Journal of Pain, presents the results of research to investigate

The research addresses a gap in the research examining the benefit of meditation in attenuating pain symptoms. The research problem is clearly articulated, with the title clearly stating the content of the paper and the introduction expressing and justifying the issue. Past research has demonstrated that meditation programs, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programs have been correlated with positive health outcomes, including pain attenuation. The most common form of program is the MBSR. In the context of pain management the eight-week length of the program renders it difficult for some patients, such as suffers of chronic pain, as they may not have the ability, or the time, required to complete the course. The research undertaken by Zeidan et al. (2010) addresses this problem, implementing a short MBSR intervention which lasts only three days. A second problem was also identified with the past research, the potential f the positive health benefits and pain attenuation being the result of the palliative effect due to the long time commitment, rather than the direct result of the actual intervention. The shorter study period also reduced the potential impact of the outcome being due to the palliative effect.

With the problem articulated, this research was undertaken to assess the impact of a three day MBSR on pain attenuation, comparing the results of MBSR with other two other strategies used in pain management; relaxation and math distraction. The research does not state a specific hypothesis; instead it is adopting an approach to answer the research question. The key terms are all explained, inching what is meant by MBSR as well as the processed and equipment used. The outcome is a useful paper which has practical implications, as it may provide help and guidance that will help with more effective pain management for those who cannot attend longer MBSR courses.

3.

Literature Review

The literature review is notability short, integrated with the introduction, consisting of only three paragraphs. However, despite the short length, it provides very comprehensive and clear summer of the past related research, indicating the finding and leading the reader to understand the gap in the research. The focus is clear and directly related to the current research, with most points supported by numerous sources, in which primary research was conducted. The articles are predominantly from other peer reviewed journals, with the majority of the articles relativity recent, having been published within the previous five-year. However, there are also relevant articles from as far back as 1980's. The research does not appear to display any overt bias, as it is suggested that the success of past research with longer programs may be a palliative rather than a direct impact of the intervention.

4.

Design and Procedures

The research was undertaken using a quasi-experimental design, complying with ethical standards as laid down by the institutional review board of the University of North Carolina. The research design was new, rather than a replica of past research, using a 5 day approach. The subjects; three sample groups of 22 students each drawn from students interest in medication in the psychology pool at the University of South Carolina, and screened to exclude other variables, such as the present of factors that would influence pain perception, took base line tests on the first day, attended the mediation classes on days 2-4 and then repeated the day 1 tests ion day five. The tests assessed the perception of pain on the part of the subjects, with pain delivered using a neurometer operating a 5 Hz. Pain response curves were established for each participant at different levels increments of pain delivery, categorized on a scale of 0-6.

The process, which did not include a pilot study, involved three experiments; the first was to assess the impact of the mediation, the second to assess the impact of relaxation and math distraction, and the third to directly compare meditation and math distraction. The dependent variable is the level of pain with the independent variable being the intervention; meditation, relaxation and mats distraction. Other variables were limited with the control of the sample group selection. Subjective measures used included the State Anxiety Inventory (SAI) and the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI).

5.

Data Analysis

The results gathered were numerical, and subjected to quantitative testing processes. The data was subjected to statistical analysis, taking the mean scores before and after the intervention at stimulation required for the high pain levels and the low pain levels. The results were examined with the use of a 2 x 3 x 2 repeated measures ANOVA, at a 95% confidence level. The finding were useful in answering the research question, and supported the idea that meditation can help with pain attenuation and was better than maths distraction or relaxation, and maths distraction was better than relaxation. The research also helped to eliminate the potential for palliative results due to the shorter term nature of the trial, and the lack of differentiation seen in the relaxation tests. The research results appear to be well discussed, including the weakness, such as the way that the subjects in this research having different group profiles across the three experimental areas, and they way they differed from past research made it difficult to make comparison. One may also argue that the small sample size was a weakness, but this was not addressed in the paper.

6.

Conclusions

The research concludes that the use of a three day mindfulness meditation intervention has the potential to significantly reduce pain attenuation, including pain sensitivity and state anxiety, with the experiential groups subjected to the mindfulness mediation intervention displaying a significant decrease in their pain curves when the results following the intervention were compared with the base line. The research also placed the treatments into context, with match distraction having some benefits and relaxation appears to provide no pain attenuation. The researchers also use the results to indicate the potential link between pain and cognitive processes, so the results are directly related to the original purpose of the research.