The Efficacy of the iCanCope Mobile Application for Neurofibromatosis Type 1 ( NF1 ): A Three‐Arm Randomized Controlled Trial

ABSTRACT Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder that presents with severe chronic pain (CP) in adults. A limited number of NF1 research studies have evaluated behaviorally based interventions to address CP. The current study evaluated the efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy delivered via mobile application. The three‐arm (treatment as usual [control], iCanCope only [iCC‐NF], iCanCope + contingency management [iCC‐NF + CM]) randomized clinical trial of 108 adults with NF1 and CP was completed during a 2‐month intervention period. Significant improvements in pain interference ( p = 0.005, d = 0.815) occurred in the iCC‐NF + CM group when compared to the control group. Outcomes for pain self‐efficacy ( p = 0.009, d = 0.718), pain inflexibility ( p = 0.026, d = 0.629), and chronic pain acceptance ( p = 0.036, d = 0.653) significantly improved among the iCC‐NF + CM group when compared to the control group. No significant differences were noted between iCC‐NF + CM and iCC‐NF. The current findings offer preliminary evidence of the added benefit of contingency management to mobile pain applications and provide an auxiliary treatment option for individuals with NF1. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: 2000029045.