Pain perception and coping in female tension headache sufferers and headache-free controls

The purpose of this study was to investigate how headache sufferers and headache-free controls differ in their responses to acute pain. Thirty-three women completed the study (15 headache sufferers and 18 controls). The cold pressor was used to induce pain, and a partially inflated blood pressure cu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inHealth psychology Vol. 15; no. 1; p. 65
Main Authors Ukestad, L K, Wittrock, D A
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.01.1996
Subjects
Adaptation, Psychological
Adult
Analysis of Variance
Case-Control Studies
Chronic Disease
Female
Humans
North Dakota
Pain Measurement
Tension-Type Headache - physiopathology
Tension-Type Headache - psychology
North Dakota
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Summary:The purpose of this study was to investigate how headache sufferers and headache-free controls differ in their responses to acute pain. Thirty-three women completed the study (15 headache sufferers and 18 controls). The cold pressor was used to induce pain, and a partially inflated blood pressure cuff was used as a nonpainful comparison task. Headache sufferers reported more discomfort during both tasks; however, the 2 groups did not differ in the number of facial expressions of pain displayed during the tasks. Headache sufferers reported a tendency to catastrophize during both tasks; positive coping did not differ between the 2 groups. These results offer evidence that recurrent tension headache sufferers are more sensitive to both painful and nonpainful stimuli and that they cope differently from controls with these physical stressors.
ISSN:0278-6133
DOI:10.1037/0278-6133.15.1.65