Nature as a Buffer Among People With Chronic Pain

Chronic Pain Clinical Trial

Official title:

Virtual Nature: Benefits for Older Adults Who Experience Chronic Pain?

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03153891
• Other study ID #: 1703006971
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: July 1, 2016
• Est. completion date: June 2018

Study information

• Verified date: March 2019
• Source: Cornell University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This randomized controlled trial examines the effect of nature exposure on pain intensity levels among older adults who experience chronic pain. Investigators examine the effects of nature on: the experience of chronic pain, on pain catastrophizing, and on attention restoration.

Description:

Nature has been used to reduce pain in the context of acute pain (e.g., during painful medical procedures) but nature has not been examined as an intervention strategy to address chronic pain. Second, the mechanism though which nature might reduce the experience of pain is not well understood. Participants are cognitively intact individuals aged 60-90 who experience chronic pain and who rate their health as fair, good or excellent. Participants are randomly assigned to one of three conditions: virtual reality (VR) nature; VR built environment; or control. Researchers examine effects of VR nature exposure on the experience of chronic pain, pain catastrophizing, and on attention restoration as well as the relations among these variables.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 23
• Est. completion date: June 2018
• Est. primary completion date: June 2018
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 60 Years to 90 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• rate health as "fair" "good" or "excellent"

• experience chronic pain

• cognitively intact

• do not use wheelchair

Exclusion Criteria:

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Chronic Pain

Intervention

Other:
• Natural Environment
the natural environment will be delivered via Samsung VR gear goggles with Samsung smartphone.
• Built Environment
the built environment will be delivered via Samsung VR gear goggles with Samsung smartphone.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Cornell University	Ithaca	New York

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Cornell University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Experience of chronic pain	rating of pain intensity, on scale of 1-10	up to 3 weeks; from date of randomization until 2nd data collection date
Secondary	Pain catastrophizing	rate 13 items on 5-point scale (0-4) (Sullivan, et al., 2001)	up to 3 weeks; from date of randomization until 2nd data collection date
Secondary	cognitive functioning	attention restoration - digit span forward & backwards; Attention Network Test	up to 3 weeks; from date of randomization until 2nd data collection date