Pelvic Pain Education and Skills Training for Women Veterans

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Distress, Emotional; Pelvic Pain
• Interventions: Behavioral: Brief ACT with CPP Education Treatment

• Registration Number: NCT06062043
• Lead Sponsor: Baylor College of Medicine

Brief Summary

The goals of this pilot randomized clinical trial are three-fold: 1) to test the feasibility of conducting a larger randomized trial using a brief Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) group intervention for women veterans with pelvic pain compared to usual care; 2) assess treatment acceptability by women veterans, and 3) identify appropriate pain-related treatment outcomes for the larger randomized trial.

Participants will be randomly assigned to participate in either the ACT condition or treatment as usual condition, complete three surveys (before, after, and 3-months after first survey), and complete a phone interview (if assigned to the ACT condition).

Researchers will compare the ACT condition and treatment as usual condition to see if there are meaningful differences in health outcomes. Due to the small sample size and pilot nature of this study, significance testing will not be performed.

Detailed Description

Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is a debilitating pain condition that disproportionately affects women veterans (30% vs. 16% of nonveteran women vs. 3% of men). Pain intensity and disability are further exacerbated by psychosocial factors (such as depression, anxiety, posttraumatic distress) that may not be fully addressed through pharmacological and surgical interventions. Cognitive and behavioral therapies, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), are identified as first-line nondrug treatments for pain conditions. Given the multifactorial nature of CPP, ACT may be of particular benefit to these patients as it provides a unified (transdiagnostic) approach to the treatment of co-occurring disorders, such as chronic pain, depression, and anxiety. Specifically, ACT targets core psychological and behavioral factors (e.g., avoidance) that underlie many psychiatric and medical conditions. Several meta-analyses show ACT is effective, even when compared to active interventions such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.

In this pilot study, researchers will examine the feasibility and acceptability of conducting a larger randomized controlled trial to establish the efficacy of a brief ACT group treatment for women veterans experiencing pelvic pain. This pilot study builds on previous work adapting an empirically supported one-day ACT workshop to the specific needs of women veterans based on their feedback.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2023-09-12
• Study First Submitted QC: 2023-09-25
• Study First Posted: 2023-10-02
• Study Start: 2024-03-04
• Primary Completion: 2025-01-15
• Study Completion: 2025-01-15
• Status Verified: 2025-05
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-05-16
• Last Update Posted: 2025-05-21

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: Female
• Target Recruitment: 20

Inclusion Criteria

• Served in US Armed Forces
• Self-identify as female/woman
• Have a diagnosis of chronic pelvic pain (CPP)
• Endorse moderate to severe pain (worst pain score ≥ 4 on Numeric Rating Scale [NRS]) AND pain-related distress (score ≥ 80 on Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory [PFDI-20])
• Be stable on mood and pain medication for four weeks and not scheduled for medical tests or procedures that might influence pain-related outcomes (e.g., surgical interventions, nerve block treatments)

Exclusion Criteria

• Cognitive impairment
• Uncontrolled bipolar or psychotic diagnosis
• Active suicidal or homicidal ideation
• Receiving concurrent psychotherapy or who have received Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) within the past year

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Brief ACT with CPP Education Group	Brief ACT with CPP Education Treatment	The Brief Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) with Chronic Pelvic Pain (CPP) education Group will attend weekly 90-minute sessions for up to six weeks to learn new ways to respond to their pain and engage in meaningful activities.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Feasibility of recruitment	Up to 1 year	Recruitment rates (number of women veterans enrolled/number who complete treatment)
Acceptability of intervention	3-month follow-up	Qualitative interview inquiring about how satisfactory women veterans found the intervention (such as likes, dislikes, and suggestions for improvement)
Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8)	up to 8-weeks from baseline	The 8 item CSQ-8 measures patient satisfaction with services rendered. Scores range from 8 to 32. Higher scores indicate greater satisfaction.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Mean change in Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)	Change at 3-month follow-up from baseline	This single item will measure worst pain severity in past 7 days. Scores range from 0-10. Higher scores indicate greater pain severity.
Mean change score in Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI-20)	Change at 3-month follow-up from baseline	The 20 item PFDI-20 measures emotional distress related to pelvic pain symptoms. Scores range from 0-300. Higher scores indicate greater pelvic pain-related distress.
Mean change score in Brief Pain Inventory (BPI-SF), Pain Interference Scale	Change at 3-month follow-up from baseline	The 7 item BPI-SF, Pain Interference Scale measures level of pain interference in daily activities. Items are averaged to compute a mean scale score that ranges from 0 to 10. Higher scores indicate greater interference with daily activities.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center; 🇺🇸 Houston, Texas, United States