Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Endometriosis

NCT ID: NCT04448366

Last Updated: 2024-11-21

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

100 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2020-11-24

Study Completion Date

2024-10-10

Brief Summary

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Endometriosis affects 10% of reproductive aged women and causes severe pain and impaired quality of life (QoL). Surgery for endometriosis results in long term symptom relief in only 40% of women.

QoL in endometriosis improves after surgery, but not to the level of healthy women. Mediators in QoL include pain intensity, pain cognitions, and stress. In a preliminary study, patients with negative pain cognitions reported higher pain intensities compared to patients with positive pain cognitions. This indicates that psychological factors explain considerable variance in pain, suggesting that changing these factors by psychological interventions may contribute to improving QoL. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is proven effective as a psychological treatment for pain-related symptoms. The primary objective of this study is to investigate whether usual care combined with CBT improves QoL in patients undergoing surgery for endometriosis compared to usual care only. Secondary objectives are to investigate whether pain intensity, pain cognitions, perceived stress, fatigue and objectively measured cortisol levels mediate the effects of CBT on QoL in both groups.

In a randomized controlled trial, 100 endometriosis patients undergoing surgery will be randomized between usual care with CBT (CBT group) and usual care only (control group). Women in the CBT group will receive, in addition to usual care, one pre-surgery and six post-surgery sessions of CBT, aimed at positively influencing mediators of QoL. Women in the control group will receive only usual care. Follow-up will be 7,5 months. In both groups QoL, pain intensity, pain cognitions, fatigue, perceived stress (using questionnaires) and objective stress (assessing cortisol in a hair sample) will be assessed at baseline assessment, T1 (two weeks after completion of all CBT sessions) and T2 (follow-up). Recruitment and treatment of patients will take place in Rijnstate hospital and Radboud University Medical Center (UMC).

Detailed Description

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Rationale: Endometriosis affects 10% of reproductive aged women and causes severe pain and impaired quality of life (QoL). Surgery for endometriosis results in long term symptom relief in only 40% of women. QoL in endometriosis improves after surgery, but not to the level of healthy women. Mediators in QoL include pain intensity, pain cognitions, and stress. In a preliminary study, patients with negative pain cognitions reported higher pain intensities compared to patients with positive pain cognitions. This indicates that psychological factors explain considerable variance in pain, suggesting that changing these factors by psychological interventions may contribute to improving QoL. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is proven effective as a psychological treatment for pain-related symptoms. QoL after surgery for endometriosis should be improved. Pain cognitions could be psychosocial targets in the treatment of endometriosis related symptoms. We hypothesize that CBT focusing on cognitions towards pain for women undergoing surgery for endometriosis improves pain cognitions, leading to improvement of QoL.

Objective: The primary objective of this study is to investigate whether usual care combined with CBT improves QoL in patients undergoing surgery for endometriosis compared to usual care only. Secondary objectives are to investigate whether pain intensity, pain cognitions, perceived stress, fatigue and objectively measured cortisol levels mediate the effects of CBT on QoL in both groups.

Study design: In a randomized controlled trial, 100 endometriosis patients undergoing surgery will be randomized between usual care with CBT (CBT group) and usual care only (control group). Women in the CBT group will receive, in addition to usual care, one pre-surgery and six post-surgery sessions of CBT, aimed at positively influencing mediators of QoL. Women in the control group will receive only usual care. Follow-up will be 7,5 months. In both groups QoL, pain intensity, pain cognitions, fatigue, perceived stress (using questionnaires) and objective stress (assessing cortisol in a hair sample) will be assessed at baseline assessment, T1 (two weeks after completion of all CBT sessions) and T2 (follow-up). Recruitment and treatment of patients will take place in Rijnstate hospital and Radboud University Medical Center (UMC).

Study population: Healthy female volunteers aged 18-50 years with an indication for endometriosis surgery due to endometriosis associated pain.

Intervention: Cognitive behavioral therapy administered in a total of seven sessions.

Main study parameters/endpoints: The difference in Quality of Life at the last measurement compared to baseline assessment.

Nature and extent of the burden and risks associated with participation, benefit and group relatedness: The control group will receive usual care. The intervention group will receive usual treatment plus a total of seven sessions of CBT. In addition, all participants are asked to fill in seven questionnaires at baseline assessment, T1 (two weeks after completion of all CBT sessions) and T2 (follow-up): the EHP-30, SF-36, PSC, PASS, CIS, NRS and PSS. Furthermore, the researcher will carefully collect a scalp hair sample of at least 0,5 cm thickness. This will be done at baseline assessment, T1 and T2. The hair sample will be analyzed for cortisol levels in a laboratory.

Conditions

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Endometriosis Quality of Life Pain

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Investigators Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Cognitive behavioral therapy group

Patients in this group will undergo a total of 7 sessions of CBT in 5 months in addition to usual care.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Cognitive behavioral therapy

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Patients in the CBT group will receive usual care. In addition, they will undergo one pre-surgery and six post-surgery face-to-face sessions of CBT. In the pre-surgery session, management of expectations towards surgery will be addressed. In the six post-surgery sessions, attention will be paid to psycho-education concerning the biological link between endometriosis-related pain and stress, relaxation training, cognitive stress management, and management of anxiety, catastrophizing and hypervigilance. The CBT sessions will be coordinated by a registered psychotherapist who is experienced in CBT and has knowledge about endometriosis. All CBT will be individual sessions.

Usual care

Patients in this group will undergo usual care only.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Cognitive behavioral therapy

Patients in the CBT group will receive usual care. In addition, they will undergo one pre-surgery and six post-surgery face-to-face sessions of CBT. In the pre-surgery session, management of expectations towards surgery will be addressed. In the six post-surgery sessions, attention will be paid to psycho-education concerning the biological link between endometriosis-related pain and stress, relaxation training, cognitive stress management, and management of anxiety, catastrophizing and hypervigilance. The CBT sessions will be coordinated by a registered psychotherapist who is experienced in CBT and has knowledge about endometriosis. All CBT will be individual sessions.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Age: 18 to 50 years
* Proven endometriosis (by ultrasound, MRI or surgery)
* An indication for endometriosis debulking surgery\* due to endometriosis-related pain
* Being able to understand, read and write Dutch \* An indication for surgery is present when hormonal and/or analgesic therapy failed in suppressing pain symptoms.

Exclusion Criteria

* An mood, anxiety or personality disorder diagnosis according to the DSM-5 at the moment of inclusion
* Undergoing psychological treatment at the moment of inclusion
* Use of psychopharmacologic medication aimed at altering mood at the moment of inclusion Patients that have endometriosis-related unwanted childlessness only
* Chronic pain (3 days a week for at least 6 months) that can be allocated to other diseases or syndromes
* Scalp hair shorter than 4 cm
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

50 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Radboud University Medical Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Catharina Ziekenhuis Eindhoven

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Jeroen Bosch Ziekenhuis

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Isala

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Rijnstate Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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A W Nap, MSc, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Rijnstate

Locations

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Rijnstate Hospital

Arnhem, Gelderland, Netherlands

Site Status

Radboud University Medical Center

Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands

Site Status

Jeroen Bosch Hospital

's-Hertogenbosch, North Brabant, Netherlands

Site Status

Catharina Hospital

Eindhoven, North Brabant, Netherlands

Site Status

Isala Hospital

Zwolle, Overijsel, Netherlands

Site Status

Countries

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Netherlands

References

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van Aken MAW, Oosterman JM, van Rijn CM, Ferdek MA, Ruigt GSF, Peeters BWMM, Braat DDM, Nap AW. Pain cognition versus pain intensity in patients with endometriosis: toward personalized treatment. Fertil Steril. 2017 Oct;108(4):679-686. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2017.07.016. Epub 2017 Sep 11.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28911933 (View on PubMed)

van Aken M, Oosterman J, van Rijn T, Ferdek M, Ruigt G, Kozicz T, Braat D, Peeters A, Nap A. Hair cortisol and the relationship with chronic pain and quality of life in endometriosis patients. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2018 Mar;89:216-222. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.01.001. Epub 2018 Jan 5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29414035 (View on PubMed)

Giudice LC, Kao LC. Endometriosis. Lancet. 2004 Nov 13-19;364(9447):1789-99. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(04)17403-5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 15541453 (View on PubMed)

Soliman AM, Yang H, Du EX, Kelley C, Winkel C. The direct and indirect costs associated with endometriosis: a systematic literature review. Hum Reprod. 2016 Apr;31(4):712-22. doi: 10.1093/humrep/dev335. Epub 2016 Feb 6.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26851604 (View on PubMed)

Ehde DM, Dillworth TM, Turner JA. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for individuals with chronic pain: efficacy, innovations, and directions for research. Am Psychol. 2014 Feb-Mar;69(2):153-66. doi: 10.1037/a0035747.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24547801 (View on PubMed)

Faramarzi M, Pasha H, Esmailzadeh S, Kheirkhah F, Heidary S, Afshar Z. The effect of the cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy on infertility stress: a randomized controlled trial. Int J Fertil Steril. 2013 Oct;7(3):199-206. Epub 2013 Sep 18.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24520487 (View on PubMed)

Richter J, Bittner A, Petrowski K, Junge-Hoffmeister J, Bergmann S, Joraschky P, Weidner K. Effects of an early intervention on perceived stress and diurnal cortisol in pregnant women with elevated stress, anxiety, and depressive symptomatology. J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol. 2012 Dec;33(4):162-70. doi: 10.3109/0167482X.2012.729111. Epub 2012 Oct 19.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23078196 (View on PubMed)

Archer KR, Devin CJ, Vanston SW, Koyama T, Phillips SE, Mathis SL, George SZ, McGirt MJ, Spengler DM, Aaronson OS, Cheng JS, Wegener ST. Cognitive-Behavioral-Based Physical Therapy for Patients With Chronic Pain Undergoing Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Pain. 2016 Jan;17(1):76-89. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2015.09.013. Epub 2015 Oct 23.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26476267 (View on PubMed)

Wang L, Chang Y, Kennedy SA, Hong PJ, Chow N, Couban RJ, McCabe RE, Bieling PJ, Busse JW. Perioperative psychotherapy for persistent post-surgical pain and physical impairment: a meta-analysis of randomised trials. Br J Anaesth. 2018 Jun;120(6):1304-1314. doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2017.10.026. Epub 2018 Feb 14.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29793597 (View on PubMed)

Boersen Z, Oosterman J, Hameleers EG, Delcliseur HSMJ, Lutters C, IJssel de Schepper A, Braat D, Verhaak CM, Nap A. Determining the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy in improving quality of life in patients undergoing endometriosis surgery: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open. 2021 Dec 8;11(12):e054896. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-054896.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 34880026 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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2019-1464

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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