Psychological interventions for post stroke pain: A systematic review

Chronic pain is prevalent after stroke and has a significant impact on quality of life. Research demonstrates the efficacy of psychological interventions for mixed chronic pain conditions. This review aimed to assess evidence on the effectiveness of psychological interventions for chronic pain in people with stroke. PubMed, PsychINFO, Embase, and CINAHL were searched from inception to 31 January 2021 at all levels of evidence. Psychological interventions assessing chronic pain in adults following stroke as a primary outcome were included. All outcomes related to pain quality were included (e.g., intensity, frequency, duration). Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist for Case Reports and Risk of Bias in N-of-1 Trials (RoBiNT) Scale. Three single n case reports were included. A narrative synthesis was performed, indicating that psychological interventions may reduce chronic post-stroke pain; however, overall quality appraisal of the included studies was poor, owing to the low internal validity found in the single-n case report designs. The limited evidence suggests that psychological interventions may have clinical utility in reducing chronic post-stroke pain. However, owing to the paucity and quality of studies found, the results must be treated with caution. More rigorous research is needed.