Psychological intervention in patients with central sensitization syndromes and comorbid psychosocial trauma: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract The co-occurrence of central sensitization syndromes (CSS) and post-traumatic symptoms (PTSS) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exacerbates impairment, and treatment is unsatisfactory in many cases. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effectiveness of psychological...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-16074-6 |
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| author | Coralie Maire Ana I. Sánchez José M. Ventura-Lucena Elena Miró M. Pilar Martínez |
| author_facet | Coralie Maire Ana I. Sánchez José M. Ventura-Lucena Elena Miró M. Pilar Martínez |
| author_sort | Coralie Maire |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The co-occurrence of central sensitization syndromes (CSS) and post-traumatic symptoms (PTSS) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exacerbates impairment, and treatment is unsatisfactory in many cases. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effectiveness of psychological therapy in individuals with CSS and comorbid PTSS/PTSD. A search of Medline, PsycInfo, Web of Science, Pubmed, and Scopus databases (2000 to 2023) was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Nineteen articles were selected, including nine for meta-analysis. The main psychological therapies were pain-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (P-CBT), and trauma-focused interventions, mainly written emotional disclosure (WED) and emotional awareness and expression therapy (EAET). Both EAET and P-CBT showed potential benefits in improving pain severity (specially EAET), PTSS/PTSD, emotional distress, fatigue, sleep disturbances, CSS-related symptoms, and quality of life. Overall, no significant differences were found between the two interventions. The meta-analysis revealed a large effect size for EAET in reducing pain and emotional distress; however, most comparison were against inactive controls, so results should be interpreted cautiously. These findings underscore the importance of distinguishing CSS patients with PTSS/PTSD. Tailored treatments such as EAET can address the additive impact of these conditions and contribute to improving patients’ quality of life. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-301fc52fd46143869d3ef479edd0fe87 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-301fc52fd46143869d3ef479edd0fe872025-08-24T11:31:02ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111110.1038/s41598-025-16074-6Psychological intervention in patients with central sensitization syndromes and comorbid psychosocial trauma: a systematic review and meta-analysisCoralie Maire0Ana I. Sánchez1José M. Ventura-Lucena2Elena Miró3M. Pilar Martínez4Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment, Psychology Faculty, University of GranadaDepartment of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment, Psychology Faculty, University of GranadaDepartment of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment, Psychology Faculty, University of GranadaDepartment of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment, Psychology Faculty, University of GranadaDepartment of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment, Psychology Faculty, University of GranadaAbstract The co-occurrence of central sensitization syndromes (CSS) and post-traumatic symptoms (PTSS) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exacerbates impairment, and treatment is unsatisfactory in many cases. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effectiveness of psychological therapy in individuals with CSS and comorbid PTSS/PTSD. A search of Medline, PsycInfo, Web of Science, Pubmed, and Scopus databases (2000 to 2023) was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Nineteen articles were selected, including nine for meta-analysis. The main psychological therapies were pain-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (P-CBT), and trauma-focused interventions, mainly written emotional disclosure (WED) and emotional awareness and expression therapy (EAET). Both EAET and P-CBT showed potential benefits in improving pain severity (specially EAET), PTSS/PTSD, emotional distress, fatigue, sleep disturbances, CSS-related symptoms, and quality of life. Overall, no significant differences were found between the two interventions. The meta-analysis revealed a large effect size for EAET in reducing pain and emotional distress; however, most comparison were against inactive controls, so results should be interpreted cautiously. These findings underscore the importance of distinguishing CSS patients with PTSS/PTSD. Tailored treatments such as EAET can address the additive impact of these conditions and contribute to improving patients’ quality of life.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-16074-6 |
| spellingShingle | Coralie Maire Ana I. Sánchez José M. Ventura-Lucena Elena Miró M. Pilar Martínez Psychological intervention in patients with central sensitization syndromes and comorbid psychosocial trauma: a systematic review and meta-analysis Scientific Reports |
| title | Psychological intervention in patients with central sensitization syndromes and comorbid psychosocial trauma: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_full | Psychological intervention in patients with central sensitization syndromes and comorbid psychosocial trauma: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_fullStr | Psychological intervention in patients with central sensitization syndromes and comorbid psychosocial trauma: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Psychological intervention in patients with central sensitization syndromes and comorbid psychosocial trauma: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_short | Psychological intervention in patients with central sensitization syndromes and comorbid psychosocial trauma: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_sort | psychological intervention in patients with central sensitization syndromes and comorbid psychosocial trauma a systematic review and meta analysis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-16074-6 |
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