Pilot Study of French-Canadian Lifestyle Redesign^® for Chronic Pain Management

Abstract

As chronic pain (CP) interferes with an individual's lifestyle by limiting meaningful activities and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), occupational therapy (OT) plays an important role in CP management interventions. This pilot study aimed to explore the influence of a 13-week French-Canadian Lifestyle Redesign^® for CP. A mixed-methods research design including a preexperimental quantitative component pre-/posttest was used with 15 participants with fibromyalgia. Although pain remained unchanged after the intervention, improvements were observed in participants' engagement in meaningful activities (<i>p</i> < .01), life balance (<i>p</i> < .01), mental components of HRQoL (<i>p</i> < .01), depressive symptoms (<i>p</i> = .047), and pain self-efficacy (<i>p</i> < .01). After the intervention, phone interviews (<i>n</i> = 6) highlighted the participants' appreciation of the focus being placed on their daily routines and the development of a sense of belonging throughout the intervention. This study suggests the potential feasibility and benefits of an occupation-based approach in CP management.