Individual versus group training in the treatment of chronic pain: Which is more efficacious?

The main objective of the study was to investigate differences in outcome o f a standardized outpatient pain management training related to individual treatment versus a group setting. Psychological pain treatment was administ ered in addition to medical treatment. Thirty-four patients were treated in the individual setting, the same number in a group setting. Thirty-four pa tients who were treated only medically served as controls. Main outcome mea sures (subjective disability), catastrophizing and depression) and further variables were analyzed by ANOVA. Patients who received additional psycholo gical training showed a better outcome than the controls in nearly all anal yzed variables. Overall there were no significant differences between group and individual treatment. Effect sizes regarding improvement at follow up (disability, catastrophizing), however, point to a superiority of the group setting. Depressionscores showed no noteworthy differences. This is true f or nearly all other variables. Taking the mostly non-significant difference s between group and individual training into account, it is concluded that a psychological pain management training should be conducted in a group set ting because of its better cost-effectiveness.