• Nicholas Chadi, Audrey McMahon, Majorie Vadnais, Catherine Malboeuf-Hurtubise, Anissa Djemli, Patricia L Dobkin, Jacques Lacroix, Thuy Mai Luu, and Nancy Haley.
• Departments of Pediatrics, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Clinical Biochemistry, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Quebec; Department of Adolescent Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario.
• J Can Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2016 Jan 1; 25 (3): 159-168.

ObjectiveTo test the feasibility of a randomized-controlled trial measuring the impact of an adapted mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) in female adolescents with chronic pain.MethodsThis was a single center, single-blind, prospective, experimental, longitudinal trial conducted in a pediatric tertiary care center. Participants had a history of chronic pain during at least three months. They were randomized into an intervention group or a wait-list control group. Both groups successively followed an adapted eight-week MBI designed specifically for adolescents with chronic pain. Pre-determined criteria were established to assess the feasibility, validity and acceptability of the study model. Data evaluating changes in quality of life, depression, anxiety, pain perception, psychological distress and salivary cortisol were collected throughout the 4-month study period.ResultsNineteen female participants completed the study and had a mean age of 15.8 years (range 13.9 -17.8). Attrition rate was low (17%). Attendance to mindfulness sessions (84%) and compliance to study protocol (100%) were high. All participants reported a positive change in the way they coped with pain. No changes in quality of life, depression, anxiety, pain perception, and psychological distress were detected. Significant reductions in pre-and post-mindfulness session salivary cortisol levels were observed (p<0.001).ConclusionsMindfulness is a promising therapeutic approach for which limited data exist in adolescents with chronic pain. Our study indicates the feasibility of conducting such interventions in teenage girls. A large trial is needed to demonstrate the efficacy and bio-physiological impacts of MBIs in teenagers with chronic pain.

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