Chronic Pain, Emotions and Professional Football

Completed

Conditions studied: Chronic Pain, Chronic Pain (Back / Neck)

In brief

Chronic pain is influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors, including emotions and environmental context. Prior research demonstrates that emotional states and psychosocial processes such as depression, fear-avoidance, and catastrophizing significantly shape the pain experience. Professional sports fandom is known to influence emotional well-being, but its relationship to chronic pain has not yet been examined. This longitudinal observational study aims to evaluate whether weekly performance outcomes of participants' favorite U.S. professional football (NFL) teams are associated with fluctuations in self-reported pain intensity, depression, and pain catastrophization among adults with chronic pain who identify as avid football fans. Participants will complete weekly online surveys throughout the NFL regular season, reporting pain ratings (NPRS) and depressive symptoms (PHQ-2). Team performance (win/loss, played/did not play, rival results) will be recorded by the research team. The study seeks to determine whether sports-related emotional fluctuations correlate with changes in chronic pain experiences.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07583368

Run by

Evidence In Motion

People needed

32

Starts

2025-07-18

Expected to finish

2026-01-09

Last updated by the study team

2026-05-13

Who can join

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

You may qualify if…

• Age 18 and above
• Chronic pain > 1 year
• Provide written consent
• Proficient in reading and understanding English
• Identify as an avid football fan of a current US professional football team (NFL). Criteria include:
• Watching all/most of their team's games during the season
• Watching games of their main competitor
• Engage in social media regarding their team during and outside of the season
• Wears team apparel during and outside of the season

You may not qualify if…

• Not willing to participate in the study
• Not willing to comply with weekly data collection requirements
• Do not meet the criteria for being classified as an avid football fan.

Where it is running

• Evidence in Motion — Story City, Iowa, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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