Objectives: Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is a complex condition. Despite recommendations for the inclusion of non-pharmacological treatment in the management of CP/CPPS, the focus has predominantly been on the inclusion of physical therapies with minimal discussion of psychological interventions. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to evaluate peer-reviewed studies of psychological interventions for men with CP/CPPS to determine their therapeutic efficacy and quality of intervention.

Methods:The review was registered in PROSPERO and based on PRISMA 2020 protocol. The systematic literature search was conducted in six databases. Quantitative studies of psychological intervention for adult men with CP/CPPS that provided outcome measures of pain, quality of life and/or psychological symptoms were reviewed. The Oxford level of evidence and Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies developed by the Effective Public Health Practice were employed.

Results: A total of 4,503 studies were reviewed; seven met the inclusion criteria. The included studies were randomised controlled trials, cohort, repeated measures, and case-series studies, with most including combined treatment for CP/CPPS. Cognitive therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, or paradoxical relaxation training were found to be effective. However, high risks of bias were found in all included studies, limiting the generalisability and reliability of findings.

Conclusions: Evidence is preliminary but shows promise for psychological treatment either as a combined or standalone treatment for CP/CPPS. However, there is a need to develop research with a more rigorous methodology to evaluate psychological treatments for men with CP/CPPS.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	male pelvic pain, psychology, systematic review
Research Division:	Psychology
Research Group:	Clinical and health psychology
Research Field:	Clinical psychology
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Clinical health
Objective Field:	Human pain management
UTAS Author:	Li, ASW (Mr Arthur Li)
UTAS Author:	Van Niekerk, L (Dr Leesa Van Niekerk)
UTAS Author:	Wong, ALY (Miss Lim Wong)
UTAS Author:	Matthewson, M (Dr Mandy Matthewson)
UTAS Author:	Garry, M (Associate Professor Michael Garry)
ID Code:	154387
Year Published:	2022
Deposited By:	Psychology
Deposited On:	2022-11-28
Last Modified:	2023-01-16
Downloads:	0