WEDNESDAY, July 24, 2024 (HealthDay News) — A behavioral pain self-management intervention is effective for chronic pain in people living with HIV, according to a study published online July 15 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Katie Fitzgerald Jones, Ph.D., from the VA Boston Healthcare System, and colleagues evaluated the efficacy of a behavioral pain self-management intervention called Skills to Manage Pain (STOMP) among 278 adults with HIV who experienced at least moderate chronic pain for three or more months versus enhanced usual care (EUC).

The researchers found that of the six possible one-on-one sessions, participants attended a mean of 2.9 sessions and for the six possible group sessions, participants attended a mean of 2.4 sessions. Compared to EUC, STOMP was associated with a statistically significant mean difference for the primary outcome, Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) total score (−1.25 points) immediately after the intervention. The mean difference in BPI total score remained statistically significant three months after the intervention, favoring the STOMP intervention (−0.62 points).

“The STOMP intervention also has the potential to be tailored to other highly affected groups including cancer survivors, older adults, or veterans who frequently experience chronic multisite pain,” the authors write.

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