Logo image
A model of dance/movement therapy for resilience-building in people living with chronic pain
Journal article   Peer reviewed

A model of dance/movement therapy for resilience-building in people living with chronic pain

Minjung Shim, R. Burke Johnson, Susan Gasson, Sherry Goodill, Richard Jermyn and Joke Bradt
European journal of integrative medicine, v 9, pp 27-40
Jan 2017

Abstract

Chronic pain management Dance/movement therapy Mind-body therapy Mixed methods research Nonpharmacological treatment Psychological resilience
Accumulating evidence supports the use of mind-body therapies and psychological treatments for chronic pain management. This study aimed to build a model of Dance/Movement Therapy for resilience-building in people with chronic pain. A mixed methods study was conducted to test and refine a preliminary model towards building a composite model of DMT for pain resilience. Twenty-two people with chronic pain participated in a 10-week group DMT intervention. Quantitative assessments of resilience, kinesiophobia, body awareness, pain, mood, stress, and relaxation were conducted. Qualitative data were collected and analyzed according to grounded theory method and compared with the quantitative findings. DMT resulted in statistically significant improvements in resilience (p<0.001), kinesiophobia (p=0.03), body awareness (p=0.02), and pain intensity (p=0.03) over time. Sixty eight percent of people felt ‘moderately to a great deal better’ post intervention. We found significant within-session changes in mood, stress, relaxation, and pain (p<0.001). Key mechanisms (activating self-agency, connecting to self, connecting to others, enhancing emotional intelligence, and reframing), intervening factors and contextual conditions were identified. Based on the findings, the preliminary model was revised and refined to construct a final model. Group DMT is a promising treatment for chronic pain through dynamic mind-body pathways. The quantitative findings should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size and the lack of control group. More substantive and methodological work is required such as utilization of a large scale randomized controlled trial and mediation analysis is needed to further refine the model.

Metrics

44 Record Views
44 citations in Scopus

Details

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being
#4 Quality Education

InCites Highlights

Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:

Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Integrative & Complementary Medicine
Logo image