Long-term effects of mindfulness-based psychological intervention for coping with pain in endometriosis: A six-year follow-up on a pilot study
Sammanfattning
Objective: Development of chronic pain problems in endometriosis is frequent. Until now there
has been no alternative treatment offered when medical and surgical treatment has been unhelpful
in relieving the pain. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term effects of a
mindfulness-based psychological intervention on chronic pain and quality of life in endometriosis
when conducting a six-year follow-up on a pilot study. Materials and methods: In the original
study, participants were recruited through Aarhus University Hospital and included ten women
with diagnosed endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain. The women participated in 10 sessions
of mindfulness-based psychological intervention. When contacted after 6 years all ten women
agreed to participate in the follow-up study. Quality of life was measured by the endometriosis
specific questionnaire EHP-30 and the generic form SF-36. Results: When comparing data from
the 12 months follow-up with data from the six year follow-up, results showed no significant
differences in mean scores on all scales of the EHP-30 and almost all scales of the SF-36 scale
scores. The results indicate lasting improvement on almost all scales of the EHP-30 and the SF-36.
Conclusion: Although conclusions remain preliminary until tested in a randomized controlled
trial, results presented in this article indicate that mindfulness-based psychological treatment of
chronic pain seems very relevant to women with endometriosis with the potential to improve
quality of life.