Age moderates response to acceptance and commitment therapy vs. cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain.

<bold>Objective: </bold>The purpose of this study was to examine age differences in response to different forms of psychotherapy for chronic pain.<bold>Methods: </bold>We performed a secondary analysis of 114 adults (ages 18-89 years) with a variety of chronic, nonmalignant pain conditions randomly assigned to 8 weeks of group-administered acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Treatment response was defined as a drop of at least three points on the Brief Pain Inventory-interference subscale.<bold>Results: </bold>Older adults were more likely to respond to ACT, and younger adults to CBT, both immediately following treatment and at 6-month follow-up. There were no significant differences in credibility, expectations of positive outcome, attrition, or satisfaction, although there was a trend for the youngest adults (ages 18-45 years) to complete fewer sessions.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>These data suggest that ACT may be an effective and acceptable treatment for chronic pain in older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]