Trait mindfulness is associated with pain outcomes in patients with chronic back pain from a rural sample in the United States

Chronic pain disproportionately affects US adults living in rural areas, leading to higher rates of opioid prescriptions. Mindfulness-based interventions are non-pharmaceutical treatments that can be effective at managing chronic pain. However, little is known about whether mindfulness is a potentially viable intervention target in rural populations. The goals of the current study were to assess the extent to which trait mindfulness was associated with pain outcomes in a rural sample with chronic back pain ( n = 50) and to determine whether trait mindfulness prospectively predicted improvement in subjective pain. Participants completed a survey at their initial visit to a spine clinic in the rural southeastern United States. They completed a follow-up survey approximately 3 months later. At the initial visit, greater trait mindfulness was significantly correlated with less reported pain, pain interference, and disability due to pain, with medium effect sizes. Furthermore, greater trait mindfulness at the initial visit prospectively predicted reduced subjective pain at follow-up. These findings suggest that trait mindfulness may buffer against the negative effects of chronic pain and may be an important intervention target for individuals with chronic back pain in rural communities.