Agile Development of a Digital Exposure Treatment for Youth With Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain

NCT05079984 | Completed Results DMC

• 2 other identifiers: 533231K23AR079608-01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 108
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This project proposes to systematically develop and evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a digitally delivered, graded exposure treatment for youth with chronic musculoskeletal pain, utilizing a sequential replicated and randomized single-case experimental design (SCED). SCED provides the opportunity to rigorously evaluate treatment effectiveness at the individual level. Development of iGET Living will be based on a series of short iterations, with alpha testing (Aim 1) on a small sample of adolescents with chronic pain (N = 15). For Aim 1, participants will participate in one session (lasting 2 hours). In Aim 2, Participants will be enrolled in a baseline period ranging from 7-25 days (done to support SCED methodology) after which they will be enrolled in the online intervention program, lasting 6-weeks. Patients will be contacted 3-months post-discharge from treatment (week 22 of enrollment) and will complete self-report outcome measures at this time.

Conditions

Chronic Pain; Exposure; Adolescent Behavior; Child Behavior

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• Assessment of Acceptability of Treatment Content - Likert Scale (Aim 1)

  Participant-rated acceptability measured on 5-point Likert scale. Range 0-4 (higher scores indicate more acceptable). Questionnaire will be administered to youth with chronic pain and their parents.

  One day

• Participant Satisfaction With the Intervention (Aim 2)

  Treatment satisfaction at the end of treatment will be evaluated by examining mean satisfaction scores on an adapted version of the Pain Service Satisfaction Test (PSST, McCracken et al., 1997). The PSST consists of 23 items rated on a 5-point Likert Scale (0 = not at all satisfied to 4 = very satisfied) and assesses the patient and parent's experience of the intervention. Scores range from 0-92. A score greater than/equal to 40 of 60 (satisfied to very satisfied) will indicate high levels of satisfaction with the intervention content. Caregivers were not assessed for this Outcome Measure.

  10 weeks (assessed at discharge)

• Percentage of Participants Dropped Out of Intervention (Aim 2)

  As a measure of treatment adherence, we will calculate the percentage of participants who drop out or withdraw from the intervention prior to completion of the intervention.

  10 weeks (Completed at discharge)

• Expectations for Treatment (Aim 2)

  To assess expectations for treatment effectiveness, participants completed the Credibility/Effectiveness Questionnaire (CEQ; Borkovec \& Nau, 1972) after engaging with iGET Living for one week. The CEQ consists of six items rated on a 0 (not at all) to 10 (very much) Likert scale and assesses expectations related to the effects of the intervention across two subscales: Credibility (e.g., "How confident would you be recommending iGET Living to a friend with the same problems?") and Expectancy (e.g., "By the end of iGET Living, how much do you think your functioning will improve?"). Credibility is calculated by summing items 1-3 and Expectancy by summing items 4-6. Possible range of scores for each subscale is 0-30, with higher scores reflecting greater perceived credibility and expectancy.

  Assessed seven days after starting the intervention (7 days post-baseline)

• Functional Disability (Aim 2)

  Functional disability will be assessed using the Functional Disability Inventory (FDI, Walker \& Greene, 1991), a 15-item self-report measure of perceived difficulty in performing activities in school, home, physical, and social contexts. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (no trouble) to 4 (impossible). Scores from all the Items are summed to create a total score (range 0-60), with higher scores indicating greater disability.

  Baseline (Day 7), Discharge (10 weeks post-baseline), and 3-month follow-up (12 weeks post-discharge)

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• Child Fear of Pain (Aim 2)

  Baseline (Day 7), Discharge (10 weeks post-baseline), and 3-month follow-up (12 weeks post-discharge)

• Parental Fear of Pain (Aim 2)

  Baseline (Day 7), Discharge (10 weeks post-baseline), and 3-month follow-up (12 weeks post-discharge)

• Child Pain Catastrophizing (Aim 2)

  Baseline (Day 7), Discharge (10 weeks post-baseline), and 3-month follow-up (12 weeks post-discharge)

• Parent Pain Catastrophizing (Aim 2)

  Baseline (Day 7), Discharge (10 weeks post-baseline), and 3-month follow-up (12 weeks post-discharge)

• Child Pain Acceptance (Aim 2)

  Baseline (Day 7), Discharge (10 weeks post-baseline), and 3-month follow-up (12 weeks post-discharge)

Study Arms (2)

User centered development

NO INTERVENTION

For Aim 1, participants engaged with the prototypes of the intervention and provided feedback.

Graded Exposure Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

For Aim 2, adolescents with chronic pain will be enrolled in a single-arm feasibility trial examining acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary effectiveness of a novel, digitally delivered, graded exposure treatment.

Behavioral: Graded exposure treatment (GET)

Interventions

Graded exposure treatment (GET) BEHAVIORAL

Graded-exposure is a theory driven, individually tailored, and evidenced based behavioral intervention for individuals with chronic pain targeting pain-related impairment by exposing patients to previously feared and avoided activities.

Graded Exposure Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 10 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Youth ages 10-18
• Have diagnosis of chronic musculoskeletal pain (\>3months)
• Have moderate to high pain interference (PROMIS Pain Interference ≥ 61)
• English literate
• Have access to computer, smartphone, or tablet with internet connection

You may not qualify if:

• Significant cognitive impairment (e.g., brain injury)
• Significant medical or psychiatric problems that would interfere with treatment

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Stanford University: lead
• Karolinska Institutet: collaborator
• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Pediatric Pain Management Clinic

Menlo Park, California, 94025, United States

Location

Related Publications (25)

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  BACKGROUND

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  BACKGROUND

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  PMID: 9392923 BACKGROUND

• Harrison LE, Webster SN, Van Orden AR, Choate E, Jehl N, Stinson J, Wicksell RK, Bonnert M, Lalouni M, Darnall BD, Simons LE. Agile development of a digital exposure treatment for youth with chronic musculoskeletal pain: protocol of a user-centred design approach and examination of feasibility and preliminary efficacy. BMJ Open. 2022 Sep 15;12(9):e065997. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-065997.

  PMID: 36109029 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Chronic Pain; Adolescent Behavior; Child Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Lauren Harrison, PhD
• Organization: Stanford University

leharr@stanford.edu

6504982486

Study Officials

• Lauren E Harrison, PhD

  Stanford University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Clinical Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 4, 2021
• First Posted: October 15, 2021
• Study Start: May 2, 2022
• Primary Completion: May 13, 2025
• Study Completion: October 1, 2025
• Last Updated: July 22, 2026
• Results First Posted: July 22, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)