An interventional study of Empowered Relief for Caregivers (ER-CY) in Chronic Pain, Musculoskeletal Pain and Fibromyalgia, sponsored by Stanford University. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-20.
Sponsored by Stanford University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Among 47 studies in Chronic Pain by Stanford University — 14 open to participants now, 19 under way, 1 of them phase 3. Chronic Pain · Stanford University.
Among the 47 studies in Chronic Pain by Stanford University, this one is the 19th largest by planned enrollment of the 37 interventional ones, is one of 6 that started in 2026, is one of 25 with no phase, reaches primary completion later than 13 of the 18 other live ones, and was the 44th registered.
3,227 studies on the registry are indexed under Chronic Pain; 729 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 80 is above the median of 60 across 2,388 interventional studies indexed under Chronic Pain.
Browse Chronic Pain studies →14 of the 47 studies in Chronic Pain by Stanford University are open now, in 1 country. Each count lists the studies.
Of the 486 Chronic Pain studies recruiting now, 239 (49%) set no upper age limit and 173 (36%) stop at 75 or younger; 43 take children under 18; 64 take healthy volunteers.
This study: 18 Years and older · all sexes · no healthy volunteers.
The full table on the hub →47 studies; the count open now beside each. This study's row is marked.
First in 1998; this study’s year is marked. 6 started in 2026.
Median enrollment 80 across the 37 interventional studies, 263 across the 10 observational. Of the 21 that completed or were terminated, 10 (48%) have results posted.
Stanford University is the lead sponsor of 2,168 studies on the registry; 431 are open to participants now.
Of its 267 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 207 (78%) have results posted.
9 of the studies in Chronic Pain by Stanford University that are under way reach primary completion within a year, 0 of them phase 3. Phase 3 first, then by date:
| Study | Primary completion |
|---|---|
| NCT06867757Stanford UniversityTargeted Realtime Assessment of Chronic Pain in Youth | 2026-11 |
| NCT06317636Stanford UniversityPropofol-Enhanced Assessment of Ketamine for Chronic Pain and Depression | 2026-11 |
| NCT04546685Stanford UniversityVirtual 1-Session Spanish "Empowered Relief" Group Intervention for Chronic Pain | 2026-12-31 |
| NCT07832240Stanford UniversityEmpowered Relief for Severe Pain After Cesarean Delivery During the Inpatient Period | 2027-01-15 |
| NCT07799883Stanford UniversityReducing Chronic Pain Following Cesarean Delivery | 2027-01-31 |
Among the 47 studies in Chronic Pain by Stanford University, from their registry updates:
This study is testing a new program called Empowered Relief for Caregivers (ER-CY), designed to support caregivers of children and teens who live with chronic pain. ER-CY is a single two-hour class delivered online. It teaches skills for managing the stress of caring for a child in pain and for responding to a child's pain in helpful ways.
Up to 80 caregivers of youth with chronic pain will take part in one ER-CY class and then complete surveys and a short interview over the following three months. The researchers want to learn two things: whether caregivers are willing and able to take part and find the program helpful and satisfying, and whether the program lowers caregiver distress and improves their child's day-to-day functioning. What is learned will help guide future programs and care for youth with chronic pain and their families.
Background and Rationale: Chronic pain is common in youth and is associated with significant long-term physical and mental health consequences, yet it remains under-recognized and undertreated. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment, but access barriers limit its reach, leaving a gap for scalable, accessible interventions. Empowered Relief (ER) is a single-session, skills-based intervention that has produced outcomes comparable to multi-session CBT in adults; a youth adaptation (ER-Y) has shown strong feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness. At the same time, caregiver distress, including anxiety and depressive symptoms, is associated with worse child pain outcomes, but few brief, accessible interventions exist to support caregivers themselves. To address this gap, the investigators co-designed Empowered Relief for Caregivers (ER-CY), a brief virtual intervention for caregivers of youth with chronic pain, and designed this study to evaluate its feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness.
Objectives: The study has two aims. Aim 1 is to assess the feasibility and acceptability of ER-CY, indexed by participant attendance and ratings of credibility and satisfaction. Aim 2 is to evaluate preliminary effectiveness, indexed by caregiver distress, caregiver behavior in response to their child's pain, and parent-reported youth pain interference. The investigators hypothesize that ER-CY will demonstrate strong feasibility and acceptability and that caregivers will show reduced distress and reduced unhelpful responses to pain, along with improvements in youth pain-related functioning over time.
Design and Procedures: This is a single-group study enrolling up to 80 caregivers of youth with chronic pain, conducted at the Pediatric Pain Management Clinic at Stanford Medicine Children's Health. Caregivers identified through the clinic complete an eligibility questionnaire, a screening call, and informed consent, and then complete baseline surveys via REDCap. Participants attend one approximately two-hour ER-CY class delivered virtually via Zoom and complete post-class surveys immediately afterward. Within one to two weeks, participants complete a semi-structured qualitative interview, which is audio- and video-recorded for analysis. Outcome and monitoring assessments are repeated at 1, 2, and 3 months following the intervention. Changes over time will be examined using mixed-effects models, and no interim analysis is planned.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Participants in this single-group study attend one approximately two-hour Empowered Relief for Caregivers class, a co-designed, skills-based intervention delivered virtually via Zoom. The class teaches caregivers of youth with chronic pain strategies to manage their own distress and to respond adaptively to their child's pain. All enrolled participants receive the ER-CY intervention; there is no comparison arm.
Behavioral: Empowered Relief for Caregivers (ER-CY)
Empowered Relief for Caregivers is a single-session, skills-based behavioral intervention delivered virtually via Zoom in one session of approximately two hours. Co-designed with caregivers, it adapts the Empowered Relief approach for caregivers of youth with chronic pain, teaching strategies to reduce caregiver distress and to respond more adaptively to a child's pain. All participants receive the same single class; there are no additional sessions or booster components.
Treatment Expectancy and Credibility: Caregiver Version
The Treatment Expectancy and Credibility: Caregiver Version assesses treatment expectations and credibility with standardized sum scores from using a numeric rating scale (score 0 = "not at all" to 10 = "very much") with a higher score indicating high expectations.
Time frame: Immediately post class
Program Feedback Scale
The Program Feedback Scale assesses participants agreement to seven statements indicating their perceived acceptability and feasibility based on a scale (score 0 = "really disagree" to 4 = "really agree") with a higher score indicating positive feedback and two open ended questions.
Time frame: Immediately post class
Exit Interview
Semi-structured qualitative interview conducted with caregivers following the ER-CY class to assess intervention acceptability and gather feedback on their experience. Interviews are audio/video recorded, transcribed, and analyzed thematically to characterize caregivers' perspectives on program content, delivery, perceived helpfulness, and suggestions for refinement.
Time frame: 1-2 weeks post class
Adult Responses to Children's Symptoms (ARCS) - Protect Subscale
Time frame: Pre-class, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months post class
Bath Adolescent Pain Parental Impact Questionnaire
Time frame: Pre-class, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months post class
Child Activity Limitations Interview-9
Time frame: Pre-class, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months post class
Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2
Time frame: Pre-class, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months post class
Pain Catastrophizing Scale - Parent
Time frame: Pre-class, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months post class
Pain Catastrophizing Scale
Time frame: Pre-class, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months post class
Patient Health Questionnaire-2
Time frame: Pre-class, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months post class
Parent Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire - 10
Time frame: Pre-class, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months post class
Parent Risk and Impact Screening Measure - 12
Time frame: Pre-class, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months post class
Plan to share: Undecided
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