Medical Effects of Proximal (In-person) Intercessory (PIP) and Virtual Intercessory Prayer (VIP) on Pain and Anxiety

Overview

This study examines whether proximal (in-person) intercessory prayer (PIP) and virtual intercessory prayer (VIP) can reduce pain and anxiety in adults seeking care at a family medicine clinic. Participants who report moderate or higher levels of pain or anxiety will be randomly assigned to receive either brief Christian prayer (in person or virtually) or a control condition of 5 minutes of relaxing music. Prayer sessions last approximately 5 to 15 minutes and are led by trained prayer practitioners. All participants complete surveys about their pain and anxiety levels before and after the session, and again at 2 to 4 weeks and 6 to 8 weeks. The goal is to determine whether prayer leads to greater improvement in pain and anxiety symptoms compared to the control condition, whether effects differ between in-person and virtual prayer, and how participants perceive the experience.

This is a prospective, randomized, controlled study with four groups: Immediate In-Person Prayer (Group 1), In-Person Music Control (Group 2), Immediate Virtual Prayer (Group 3), and Virtual Music Control (Group 4). Randomization uses an alternating list with equal probability of assignment to intervention or control within each arm. The PIP arm recruits patients presenting in person at University of Maryland Department of Family and Community Medicine clinics. The VIP arm recruits patients of the same clinics via email outreach, with sessions conducted over Zoom Healthcare. The prayer intervention follows a standardized Christian 5-step prayer model. The control condition consists of a 5 minutes of soothing instrumental music. Outcome assessments use the GAD-7 and likert scare for anxiety and the Numeric Pain Rating Scale for pain, collected at baseline, immediately post-intervention (except GAD-7), 2 to 4 weeks, and 6 to 8 weeks. Secondary analyses examine whether effects vary by age, gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and religious beliefs. Participant perceptions of the prayer experience are also assessed. This is a feasibility and pilot study.