Project Description:

This Inter-NIA Center pilot will evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an online-delivered positive affect (PA) skills intervention, LARKSPUR (Lessons in Affect Regulation to Keep Stress and Pain UndeR control), in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). The pilot focuses on Stage 1 (providing the basis for modification and refinement of existing interventions) of the NIA’s Stage Model of Behavioral Intervention Development in that it 1) identifies PA enhancement as a promising therapeutic element relevant for the treatment of FMS, and 2) evaluate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of LARKSPUR as a means of reducing pain and pain-related interference in FMS patients.

Potential Impact:

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic musculoskeletal condition characterized by widespread pain and tenderness, and often accompanied by impaired physical functioning, depressed mood, as well as deficits in positive affect (PA).Standard behavioral therapies typically focus on minimizing negative thoughts and emotions associated with pain and yield only modest treatment effects. Efforts are therefore needed to develop more effective psychological treatments for chronic pain by identifying new targets for intervention. The pilot will lay the foundation for understanding how standard psychosocial treatments for fibromyalgia can be optimized through an emphasis on PA enhancement as a primary pathway to improved chronic pain outcomes.

Next Steps:

Upon study completion, we will have a version of the LARKSPUR program adapted for FMS patients, and if feasible, acceptable, and potentially efficacious will move us moved closer to a Stage III trial.

The importance/value of RCCN funding for this collaborative research:

RCCN funding for this collaborative project will allow for collection of critical feasibility data that will provide the foundation for the development of a low cost, easily disseminated non-pharmacologic intervention with potential to measurably improve quality of life among FMS patients.