Medical Effects of Proximal (In-person) Intercessory (PIP) and Virtual Intercessory Prayer (VIP) on Pain and Anxiety

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Pain and Anxiety, Complementary Therapies

In brief

This study examines whether proximal (in-person) intercessory prayer (PIP) and virtual intercessory prayer (VIP) can reduce pain and anxiety in adults seeking care at a family medicine clinic. Participants who report moderate or higher levels of pain or anxiety will be randomly assigned to receive either brief Christian prayer (in person or virtually) or a control condition of 5 minutes of relaxing music. Prayer sessions last approximately 5 to 15 minutes and are led by trained prayer practitioners. All participants complete surveys about their pain and anxiety levels before and after the session, and again at 2 to 4 weeks and 6 to 8 weeks. The goal is to determine whether prayer leads to greater improvement in pain and anxiety symptoms compared to the control condition, whether effects differ between in-person and virtual prayer, and how participants perceive the experience.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07565142

Run by

University of Maryland, Baltimore

People needed

180

Starts

2024-05-20

Expected to finish

2025-05-19

Last updated by the study team

2026-05-04

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Patient at a University of Maryland Department of Family and Community Medicine clinic
• Score of 4 or more on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (0-10) and/or score of 10 or more on the GAD-7

You may not qualify if…

• currently pregnant
• Change in pain or anxiety medication within 24 hours of potential enrollment

Where it is running

• University of Maryland Department of Family and Community Medicine — Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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