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Chronic Low Back PainSERENITYNCT07820475

SERENITY Study of Chronic Pain Interference in Adults

An observational study of Chronic Low Back Pain and Spinal Cord Injury, run by University of Minnesota at 1 site in United States.

Not yet recruiting

Opening soon. The study is approved but enrolment has not started yet. Sites may already take enquiries.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

SERENITY is a remote observational study designed to characterize inter-individual differences in chronic pain among adults with chronic low back pain and adults with spinal cord injury-related neuropathic pain. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
How many people
400 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
1 Nov 2026to 30 Sep 2031
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: Adults with chronic low back pain and adults with spinal cord injury-related neuropathic pain will be recruited nationwide for this remote observational study. Participants will be 18 years or older, medically stable, fluent in English, and have pain severity of at least 4 out of 10 over the past week. Participants will complete baseline assessments and intensive longitudinal data collection using ecological momentary assessment surveys, brief cognitive tests, and passive Fitbit data collection.

Who may be able to join

  • Age 18 years or older
  • Chronic low back pain for more than 3 months, or complete or incomplete spinal cord injury for more than 1 year with spinal cord injury-related neuropathic pain
  • Medically stable
  • Pain severity of at least 4 out of 10 on the numeric pain rating scale over the past week
  • Fluent in English
  • Access to the internet and a computer, iPad, or smartphone; study equipment may be provided if needed
  • Currently on stable pain medication or manual therapy appointments as part of clinical care

Who cannot join

  • Cognitive impairment or communicative disability preventing the participant from following directions
  • Major medical complications
  • Pregnancy
  • Current active treatments that could potentially influence SERENITY outcomes, such as cognitive behavioral therapy or Qigong
  • Children
  • Prisoners
Show all 12Show fewer
  • Adults lacking capacity to consent or adults with diminished or fluctuating capacity to consent
  • Non-English speakers
  • Individuals unable to read
  • Employees of the researcher
  • Students of the researcher
  • Active members of the military or DoD personnel

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Ann Van de Winckel, PhD, MSPT contact

6124062500

avandewi@umn.edu

United States1 site
  • University of Minnesota

    Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455

    Ann Van de Winckel, PhD, MSPT, avandewi@umn.edu

    Ann Van de Winckel, PhD, MSPT

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Modeling of Inter-Individual Differences in Chronic Pain Using Holistic Measures of Pain Severity, Stress, Cognition, Body and Mind Awareness

SERENITY is a remote observational study designed to characterize inter-individual differences in chronic pain among adults with chronic low back pain and adults with spinal cord injury-related neuropathic pain.

Participants will complete baseline assessments and intensive longitudinal data collection using ecological momentary assessment surveys, brief cognitive tests, and passive Fitbit data collection. Ecological momentary assessment surveys will be completed 4 times per day for at least 3 weeks and will assess pain interference, pain intensity, stress, affect, sleep, body and mind awareness, agency, medication use, manual therapy frequency, and related factors.

The study will use Bayesian hierarchical modeling, clustering analyses, and causal discovery approaches to identify person-specific and group-level factors associated with pain interference.

Read the detailed description

Chronic pain is heterogeneous, and individuals with similar pain diagnoses may experience different levels of pain interference and may have different factors contributing to pain-related disability. SERENITY is a remote observational study designed to characterize between-subject heterogeneity in adults with chronic low back pain and adults with spinal cord injury-related neuropathic pain.

The study will enroll 200 adults with chronic low back pain and 200 adults with spinal cord injury-related neuropathic pain. Participants will complete baseline demographic, clinical, pain, emotional functioning, physical functioning, and quality-of-life assessments. Participants will also complete ecological momentary assessment surveys 4 times per day for at least 3 weeks. These surveys will assess pain intensity, pain interference with function, positive and negative affect, stress, sleep, body and mind awareness, agency or perceived control over pain and life, medication dosage, manual therapy frequency, and brief cognitive test performance.

Fitbit data will be collected passively during the study period to measure sleep, physical activity, heart rate, heart rate variability, daily readiness, and stress management. The study will use intensive longitudinal data from ecological momentary assessment surveys and Fitbit measures to develop Bayesian hierarchical models, pain-profile clusters, and personal causal models.

The primary objective is to identify SERENITY measures associated with or causally related to pain interference within each pain group. The study will also examine heterogeneity in pain profiles and explore person-specific causal relationships between pain interference and measures of pain severity, stress, cognition, body and mind awareness, affect, and agency.

Keywords
EMA, SERENITY, Chronic pain, Chronic low back pain, Fitbit
Medical subject headings
Spinal Cord Injuries, Neuralgia, Chronic Pain

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

Study groups in NCT07820475
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Adults With Chronic Low Back PainAdults with chronic low back pain for more than 3 months and pain severity of at least 4 out of 10 over the past week. Participants will complete baseline questionnaires, ecological momentary assessment surveys, brief cognitive tests, and passive Fitbit data collection.
Adults With SCI-Related Neuropathic PainAdults with complete or incomplete spinal cord injury of more than 1 year, medically stable, with spinal cord injury-related neuropathic pain and pain severity of at least 4 out of 10 over the past week. Participants will complete baseline questionnaires, ecological momentary assessment surveys, brief cognitive tests, and passive Fitbit data collection.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Pain Interference With Function

    Pain interference with function will be assessed using a single ecological momentary assessment item: "How much is your low back pain/neuropathic pain affecting your daily life function?" Response options range from 0 to 4, with higher scores indicating worse pain interference with function. This is not a standardized scale and is administered via ecological momentary assessment to support causal discovery pathways.

    Unit: points

    Measured: Four times daily for at least 3 weeks

Secondary outcomes (26)
  1. Pain, Enjoyment of Life and General Activity Scale Score

    Pain severity and impact will be assessed using the Pain, Enjoyment of Life and General Activity scale. This 3-item scale has a minimum score of 0 and maximum score of 30, with higher scores indicating worse pain severity and impact.

    Unit: points

    Measured: Baseline

  2. Brief Pain Inventory Short Form Pain Severity Composite Score

    Pain severity will be assessed using the Brief Pain Inventory Short Form 7-day recall. The pain severity composite includes 4 items, with scores ranging from 0 to 10. Higher scores indicate worse pain severity.

    Unit: points

    Measured: Baseline

  3. Brief Pain Inventory Short Form Pain Interference Composite Score

    Pain interference will be assessed using the Brief Pain Inventory Short Form 7-day recall. The pain interference composite includes 7 items, with scores ranging from 0 to 10. Higher scores indicate worse pain interference.

    Unit: Points

    Measured: Baseline

  4. Spinal Cord Injury Functional Index/Assistive Technology Score

    Physical functioning among participants with spinal cord injury will be assessed using the Spinal Cord Injury Functional Index/Assistive Technology measure. This 32-item measure has a minimum score of 0 and maximum score of 128, with higher scores indicating better physical functioning.

    Unit: Points

    Measured: Baseline

  5. Roland-Morris Low Back Pain and Disability Questionnaire Score

    Low back pain-related disability among participants with chronic low back pain will be assessed using the Roland-Morris Low Back Pain and Disability Questionnaire. This 24-item measure has a minimum score of 0 and maximum score of 24, with higher scores indicating worse disability.

    Unit: Points

    Measured: Baseline

  6. Patient Health Questionnaire-4 Score

    Depression and anxiety symptoms will be assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-4. This 4-item measure has a minimum score of 0 and maximum score of 12, with higher scores indicating worse depression and anxiety symptoms.

    Unit: Points

    Measured: Baseline

  7. World Health Organization Quality of Life 2-Item Score

    Quality of life and health satisfaction will be assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life 2-item measure. Each item is scored on a 5-point Likert scale. Total scores range from 2 to 10, with higher scores indicating better quality of life and health satisfaction.

    Unit: Points

    Measured: Baseline

  8. Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised Score

    Mindful qualities will be assessed using the Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised. This 12-item measure is scored from 1 to 4 per item. Total scores range from 1 to 48, with higher scores indicating better mindfulness-related qualities.

    Unit: Points

    Measured: Baseline

  9. Pain Resilience Scale Score

    Pain resilience will be assessed using the Pain Resilience Scale. This 14-item measure uses a 5-point Likert scale scored from 0 to 4 per item. Total scores range from 0 to 56, with higher scores indicating better positive adaptation to pain.

    Unit: Points

    Measured: Baseline

  10. Positive and Negative Affect Schedule Short Form - Positive Affectivity Score

    Positive affectivity will be assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule Short Form. Items are scored from 1 to 5. Total scores range from 5 to 25, with higher scores indicating better positive affectivity.

    Unit: Points

    Measured: Four times daily for at least 3 weeks

  11. Positive and Negative Affect Schedule Short Form - Negative Affectivity Score

    Negative affectivity will be assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule Short Form. Items are scored from 1 to 5. Total scores range from 5 to 25, with higher scores indicating worse negative affectivity.

    Unit: Points

    Measured: Four times daily for at least 3 weeks

  12. EMA Relaxation Score

    Relaxation will be assessed using a single ecological momentary assessment item scored from 0 to 4, with higher scores indicating better relaxation.

    Unit: points

    Measured: Four times daily for at least 3 weeks

  13. EMA Energy Score

    Energy will be assessed using a single ecological momentary assessment item scored from 0 to 4, with higher scores indicating better energy.

    Unit: points

    Measured: Four times daily for at least 3 weeks

  14. EMA Control Score

    Perceived control will be assessed using a single ecological momentary assessment item scored from 0 to 4, with higher scores indicating better perceived control.

    Unit: points

    Measured: Four times daily for at least 3 weeks

  15. EMA Sleep Difficulty Score

    Sleep difficulty will be assessed using single ecological momentary assessment items related to trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, and waking up too early. Each item will be scored separately from 0 to 4, with higher scores indicating worse sleep difficulty.

    Unit: points

    Measured: Four times daily for at least 3 weeks

  16. EMA Fear of Movement Score

    Fear of movement because of pain will be assessed using a single ecological momentary assessment item scored from 0 to 4, with higher scores indicating worse fear of movement.

    Unit: points

    Measured: Four times daily for at least 3 weeks

  17. EMA Pain Intensity Score

    Pain intensity will be assessed using a single ecological momentary assessment item measuring pain intensity at the time of assessment. Scores range from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating worse pain intensity.

    Unit: points

    Measured: Four times daily for at least 3 weeks

  18. Time to Completion for EMA Number Sequencing Task

    Attention will be assessed using a smartphone-based number sequencing task. Performance will be reported as time to completion.

    Unit: Seconds

    Measured: Four times daily for at least 3 weeks

  19. Time to Completion for EMA Number-Letter Sequencing Task

    Set-shifting will be assessed using a smartphone-based number-letter sequencing task. Performance will be reported as time to completion.

    Unit: Seconds

    Measured: Four times daily for at least 3 weeks

  20. Percent Correct for EMA Spatial Working Memory Task

    Spatial working memory will be assessed using a smartphone-based spatial working memory task. Performance will be reported as percent correct.

    Unit: percent correct

    Measured: Four times daily for at least 3 weeks

  21. Fitbit-Derived Sleep Duration

    Sleep duration will be measured passively using Fitbit Charge 6 during the study assessment period.

    Unit: hours

    Measured: Throughout the study assessment period, at least 3 weeks

  22. Fitbit-Derived Physical Activity

    Physical activity will be measured passively using Fitbit Charge 6 during the study assessment period.

    Unit: Steps

    Measured: Throughout the study assessment period, at least 3 weeks

  23. Fitbit-Derived Heart Rate

    Heart rate will be measured passively using Fitbit Charge 6 during the study assessment period.

    Unit: beats per minute

    Measured: Throughout the study assessment period, at least 3 weeks

  24. Fitbit-Derived Heart Rate Variability

    Heart rate variability will be measured passively using Fitbit Charge 6 during the study assessment period.

    Unit: milliseconds

    Measured: Throughout the study assessment period, at least 3 weeks

  25. Fitbit-Derived Daily Readiness Score

    Daily readiness will be measured passively using Fitbit Charge 6 during the study assessment period.

    Unit: points

    Measured: Throughout the study assessment period, at least 3 weeks

  26. Fitbit-Derived Stress Management Score

    Stress management will be measured passively using Fitbit Charge 6 during the study assessment period.

    Unit: points

    Measured: Throughout the study assessment period, at least 3 weeks

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted15 Sep 2026
  2. Study start1 Nov 2026 (estimated)
  3. Primary completion30 Sep 2031 (estimated)
  4. Study completion30 Sep 2031 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
400 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07820475
Sponsor's protocol ID
PT-2026-35194
Other IDs
STUDY00029295
Acronym
SERENITY
Status last verified
Oct 2026
First submitted
2 Sep 2026
Last updated
13 Oct 2026
Results posted
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Chronic Low Back Pain and Spinal Cord Injury, run by University of Minnesota at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 12 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Ann Van de Winckel, PhD, MSPT (6124062500, avandewi@umn.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Pain Interference With Function (time frame: Four times daily for at least 3 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 13 Oct 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 26 Oct 2026.

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