Pain Reduction Through Empowered Recovery (PRIME) Study

Overview

Chronic pain and depression or low mood are often experience by women who age with or into disabilities. Due to various factors women with disabilities often experience this cycle of pain and depression. Both of these conditions can be debilitating and lead to declines in health. Treating these conditions simultaneously, particularly , in older adults can be complicated due to side effects, risks of poor access to pain management and mental health care , and complications from other co occuring conditions. In order to address this cycle in older women with disabilities the investigators are testing the Women in Pain Reduction through Improved Mood and Empowerment (PRIME) study. The PRIME intervention includes four in person visits by a nurse to the women's homes where the participants set goals regarding pain and depression and the nurse helps the participants strategize ways to meet these goals. The second component of the study will be eight group sessions virtually with other participants in the study. The group sessions will be led by a clinical psychologist who will engage in Acceptance Commitment Therapy with the women.

Chronic pain and depression frequently co-occur among older women with disabilities, and each can exacerbate the other in a worsening cycle. This co-occurrence may be due, in part, to pain and depression sharing biologic etiologies such as inflammation. Beyond each individual category of risk, the intersection of age, sex, and disability place older women with disabilities at even higher risk of having co-occurring pain and depression.There are several effective multi-component behavioral interventions for either pain or depression, but not both outcomes in combination, and none were designed to integrate social determinants of health to address the inequities inherent in being an older woman with disabilities. Addressing these two conditions in this population warrants multicomponent interventions that are appropriate for and inclusive of all older women with disabilities. The proposed study is to apply self-regulation theory to refine and further test the feasibility of a tailored behavioral activation intervention, older women with disabilities in Pain Reduction through Improved Mood and Empowerment (PRIME) Study Aim 1: Leveraging the investigators previous research, the investigators will enroll 15-30 community dwelling women , ages 50 and over, with physical disabilities , living in Maryland who have pain and depression in the Women in PRIME clinical trial. Aim 2: The investigators will determine a) feasibility and acceptability of the intervention and b) if strategies and evaluation techniques are appropriate.