1 research outputs found
A comparative study of cognitive behavioural therapy and shared reading for chronic pain
The case for psychosocial interventions in relation to
chronic pain, one of the most common health issues in
contemporary healthcare, is well-established as a means
of managing the emotional and psychological difficulties
experienced by sufferers. Using mixed methods, this
study compared a standard therapy for chronic pain,
cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), with a specific
literature-based intervention, shared reading (SR)
developed by national charity, The Reader. A 5-week
CBT group and a 22-week SR group for patients with
chronic pain ran in parallel, with CBT group members
joining the SR group after the completion of CBT. In
addition to self-report measures of positive and negative
affect before and after each experience of the
intervention, the 10 participants kept twice-daily (12-
hourly) pain and emotion diaries. Qualitative data were
gathered via literary-linguistic analysis of audio/video�recordings and transcriptions of the CBT and SR sessions
and video-assisted individual qualitative interviews with
participants. Qualitative evidence indicates SR’s potential
as an alternative or long-term follow-up or adjunct to
CBT in bringing into conscious awareness areas of
emotional pain otherwise passively suffered by patients
with chronic pain. In addition, quantitative analysis,
albeit of limited pilot data, indicated possible
improvements in mood/pain for up to 2 days following
SR. Both findings lay the basis for future research
involving a larger sample siz