An interventional study of Meaning Based Group Psychotherapy and Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy in Chronic Pain, sponsored by Hospital Clinico Universitario San Cecilio. Recruiting at 1 site in Spain. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-09.
Sponsored by Hospital Clinico Universitario San Cecilio · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
The aimes of this study is to determine whether Meaning-Based Psychotherapy (MBP) is an effective therapy for improving sense of purpose, reducing depression, and improving quality of life in people with chronic pain and to verify the effectiveness of the MBP intervention for participants in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) by comparing it with the optimized usual care (Cognitive-behavioural Psychotherapy por chronic pain).
Psychological interventions aimed at pain management arise from the need to provide a comprehensive treatment approach that addresses the multidimensional nature of the pain experience: sensory-discriminative, cognitive-evaluative, and affective-emotional dimensions. The goal of these interventions is to enable individuals with chronic pain to understand the factors that modulate their pain experience, to be able to live with and cope with its associated difficulties, and to strengthen their personal resources and coping skills.
Meaning-based psychotherapy (MBP) is designed to help people cope with unexpected or chronic adverse situations, so that participants can, despite their circumstances, build a fulfilling life. Recent studies on the effectiveness of MBP have found that it is effective in reducing depressive and anxious symptoms and increasing a sense of purpose in vulnerable individuals. Logotherapy and MBP are effective in improving meaning in life, spiritual well-being, and quality of life, as well as in reducing depression and anxiety in people with depression, people with complex grief, vulnerable individuals , people with cancer, and people with chronic illnesses. These results, along with those found in meta-analysis studies, suggest that MBP is effective in improving meaning in life, hope, optimism, self-efficacy, well-being, quality of life, and reducing stress
3,227 studies on the registry are indexed under Chronic Pain; 729 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 118 is above the median of 60 across 2,388 interventional studies indexed under Chronic Pain.
Browse Chronic Pain studies →Hospital Clinico Universitario San Cecilio is the lead sponsor of 2 studies on the registry; 1 is open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Meaning-Based Psychotherapy (MBP) Protocol. The intervention consists of 10 modules of treatment defined in 15 sessions held over 4 months, in a group format of two hours each, on a weekly basis
Behavioral: Meaning Based Group Psychotherapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for pain will be applied, including: psychoeducational content, training in emotional regulation strategies, attention and relaxation exercises, and problem and conflict resolution. 10 modules will be implemented over 15 sessions following Kovacs and Moix Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Chronic Pain
Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy
Module 1: Introduction to MBP. Acquired illnesses and the loss of meaning in life. How can we develop a low sense of purpose in life? Module 2: Psychoeducation on MBP. Module 3: Human experiences occur in three dimensions: biological, psychological, and the noetic/meaning dimension. Sources of meaning. Module 4: Creative sources of meaning and experiential sources of meaning. Module 5: The noetic/meaning dimension is the compass of our life. Module 6: Sources of attitudinal meaning. Transforming an unexpected situation into a personal triumph. Module 7: Responsibility as a source of meaning. Module 8: The past is a potential source of enduring meaning. Module 9: The capacity for self-transcendence Module 10: Development and processing of your book of Life.
Module 1: Understanding the multidimensional experience of pain Module 2: Identifying emotions and aspects related to pain I Module 3: Identifying emotions and aspects related to pain II Module 4: Emotional regulation strategies Module 5: Cognitive restructuring and flexibility Module 6: Mindfulness exercises Module 7: Participation in graded activities Module 8: Interpersonal Problem and Conflict Resolution Module 9: Relaxation Exercises Module 10: Relapse Prevention
Beck Depression Inventory
The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck et al., 1996), consisting of 21 items with four response options (0-4), assesses depressive symptoms. It establishes different quantitative ranges of depression: absent or minimal depression (\< 13), mild to moderate depression (14-19), moderate depression (20-28), and severe depression (\>28). We will use the Spanish version (Sanz et al., 2005), which has adequate reliability (α = .93). It includes two subscales: a cognitive-affective subscale and a somatic-motivational subscale.
Time frame: Changes will be assessed from pre-treatment to immediately after the intervention, and also at 3-month follow-up
Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ)
The MLQ is a self-reported questionnaire made up of 10 items, and it was developed to assess the two main dimensions of meaning in life: presence and search for meaning in life. The items are rated on a 7-point scale ranging from 1 (absolutely false) to 7 (absolutely true). The factors of Presence and Search were correlated (r = -.19), and internal consistency was good for Presence (.86) and Search (.87). One-month test-retest reliability coefficients were .70 for Presence and .73 for Search.
Time frame: Changes will be assessed from pre-treatment to immediately after the intervention, and also at 3-month follow-up
The Multidimensional Existential Meaning Scale (MEMS)
The MEMS assesses the dimensions of meaning in life: Understanding, Purpose, and Significance, with a total of 15 items. Likert-type responses are given on a 7-point scale (1 = Strongly disagree; 7 = Strongly agree). We will use the Spanish version (Marco et al., 2022), where the three MEMS subscales showed adequate internal consistency: Understanding (ϖ = .91), Purpose (ϖ = .92), and Significance (ϖ = .86).
Time frame: Changes will be assessed from pre-treatment to immediately after the intervention, and also at 6-month follow up
Purpose In Life (PIL)
In this study, we used Part A of the PIL, which consists of 20 items with a Likert-type scale (1 to 7). It provides a measure of the level of achievement of meaning in life. Items include: "Life seems completely boring to me," with a Likert-type response (ranging from "1 = completely routine" to "7 = always exciting"). Scores range from 20 to 140 points, with three levels: scores below 90 indicate a level of existential emptiness, scores between 90 and 105 indicate a level of uncertainty regarding the meaning of life, and scores above 105 indicate a level of achievement of meaning. We used the Spanish version (Noblejas de la Flor, 2000), which has adequate reliability (α = .88).
Time frame: [Time Frame: Changes will be assessed from pre-treatment to immediately after the intervention, and also at 3-month follow up
Pain Catastrophizing Scale
Validation of the Spanish version of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale in fibromyalgia. Medicina Clínica, 131(13), 487-492. It measures the tendency to have exaggerated negative thoughts about pain, such as ruminating about suffering or feeling hopeless. It consists of 13 items grouped into three subscales: rumination, magnification, and helplessness. It is useful for predicting pain intensity, disability, and response to treatment. A validated Spanish version exists for patients with fibromyalgia and chronic pain with a reliability of (α = 0.79).
Time frame: Changes will be assessed from pre-treatment to immediately after the intervention, and also at 3-month follow up
Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale (OASIS)
The OASIS is a five-item instrument that assesses the frequency and intensity of anxiety symptoms during the past week. In addition, it measures interference in work and academic, social, and daily life domains, as well as avoidance behaviors. The items are rated on a Likert-type scale (0-4). The psychometric properties are good in terms of internal consistency (α= 0.86), convergent and discriminant validity, and sensitivity to change (α= 0.86).
Time frame: Changes will be assessed from pre-treatment to immediately after the intervention, and also at 3-month follow-up
Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire
Validation of the Spanish version of the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ) for the assessment of acceptance in fibromyalgia. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 8, 37. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-8-37). It assesses acceptance of chronic pain, including willingness to experience pain and maintain activities. It measures behavioral flexibility and functional adaptation to pain. Higher levels of acceptance have been shown to be associated with less depression and better functioning. It is available in a Spanish version, including a short, 8-item version with adequate reliability (α = 0.83).
Time frame: Changes will be assessed from pre-treatment to immediately after the intervention, and also at 3-month follow-up
Plan to share: No
Started Jul 2025 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Feb 2028, 31 months after the start.
Of 1,295 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Chronic Pain, half reached primary completion within 20 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 9 and three quarters within 39. This study's planned 31 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 1,378 studies reached it within 20 months; a quarter within 9 and three quarters within 38.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Hospital Clinico Universitario San Cecilio