Background Virtual psychotherapy for chronic pain (CP) has been shown to be feasible, efficacious and acceptable; however, little is known about how virtual delivery of group psychotherapy affects participants’ experiences. This study aimed to explore the impact of a virtual medium during the COVID-19 pandemic on social interactions and therapeutic processes in the context of group psychotherapy for CP management. Method This qualitative, interview-based study collected data on 18 individuals who participated in virtual group psychotherapy in a tertiary care pain management unit. Results Results of the thematic analysis showed four themes. First, ability to participate and connect was modified by not meeting in person. Connections also occurred differently as the usual patterns of interactions changed. Participants described important shifts in how emotions are communicated and subsequent experience of empathy. Finally, the commonality of chronic pain experience was identified as a central driver of connection between participants. Conclusions Mixed impacts of the virtual medium on group psychotherapy dynamics and processes were found. Future research could explore ways to mitigate the negative impacts.

中文翻译：

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慢性疼痛的虚拟团体心理治疗：探索虚拟媒介对参与者体验的影响

背景 慢性疼痛（CP）的虚拟心理治疗已被证明是可行、有效和可接受的；然而，人们对虚拟团体心理治疗如何影响参与者的经历知之甚少。本研究旨在探讨 COVID-19 大流行期间虚拟媒体对脑瘫管理团体心理治疗背景下的社交互动和治疗过程的影响。方法 这项基于访谈的定性研究收集了 18 名在三级护理疼痛管理单位参加虚拟团体心理治疗的个体的数据。结果 主题分析结果显示了四个主题。首先，通过不亲自见面来改变参与和联系的能力。随着通常的互动模式发生变化，联系也发生了不同的变化。参与者描述了情感交流方式的重要转变以及随后的同理心体验。最后，慢性疼痛经历的共性被认为是参与者之间联系的核心驱动力。结论 虚拟媒体对团体心理治疗动态和过程的影响是复杂的。未来的研究可以探索减轻负面影响的方法。