Examination of Psychological and Physiological Pathways Linking Gratitude and Pain

NCT ID: NCT06317844

Last Updated: 2025-09-16

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

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

145 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-09-10

Study Completion Date

2025-08-19

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effects of a brief gratitude intervention on individuals' psychological and physiological responses to acute pain. Furthermore, these associations will be examined in the context of genetic variations associated with both pain and psychological processes.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

After being informed about the study and potential risks, all patients giving written informed consent will be randomized to a behavioral writing intervention and a cold pressor task. Participants will be randomized to a gratitude or neutral writing condition.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Acute Pain Positive Thinking Emotions

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Gratitude Writing

In the gratitude writing condition, participants will write continuously for 5 minutes about someone they are grateful for.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral Writing Intervention

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

This behavioral intervention will require participants to write about certain aspects of their lives.

Neutral Writing

Participants in the neutral writing condition will write continuously for 5 minutes about how they got to the research laboratory.

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Behavioral Writing Intervention

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

This behavioral intervention will require participants to write about certain aspects of their lives.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Behavioral Writing Intervention

This behavioral intervention will require participants to write about certain aspects of their lives.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* must be pain-free
* must be at least 18 years old

Exclusion Criteria

* cardiovascular disease
* Raynaud's disease
* epilepsy
* being pregnant
* having a current injury to or open cut or sore on one's non-dominant hand
* history of fainting or seizures
* history of frostbite in non-dominant hand
* chronic pain conditions (e.g., fibromyalgia, neuropathy, arthritis)
* diabetes
* malignant tumor
* chronic lung disease
* liver disease
* kidney disease
* gastrointestinal diseases
* currently taking opioids
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

Black Hills State University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Nathan Deichert, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Black Hills State University

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Black Hills State University

Spearfish, South Dakota, United States

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

P20GM103443

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

BlackHillsHealthPsych

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

Pain Modulation Effectiveness (PME)
NCT05783362 COMPLETED NA
Self-Compassion and Acute Pain
NCT03647683 COMPLETED NA