Cognitive Processing Styles and Mindfulness on Pain Intensity Prediction in People with Primary Headache.
Sarah Namjoo, Mohammadreza Seirafi, Farhad Assarzadegan, Ahmad Borjali
Anesthesiology and pain medicine November 19, 2018 DOI: 10.5812/aapm.82470 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Correlational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 85 |
| Population | Patients with one type of primary headache, diagnosed by a neurologist at Imam Hossein Hospital in Tehran province (56 females, 29 males) |
| Measures | Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NRS), Pain-Related Cognitive Processes Questionnaire (PCPQ) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Headache pain Pain-related cognitive processing |
| Key points | Mindfulness and all pain-related cognitive processes except pain focus were negatively associated with headache pain intensity. Mindfulness alone explained 39% of pain intensity variance, and adding cognitive processing styles increased the explained variance by 18%, totaling 54%. The authors suggest these factors are effective predictors of pain intensity and may inform primary headache pain management. |
Abstract
Background: Primary headaches are the most common cause of absence from work and school and one of the most common reasons for referring to the neurologists.
Objectives: The present study was designed to investigate the relationship of cognitive processing style and mindfulness with pain intensity and the ultimate aim was to provide the role of pain-related cognitive processes and mindfulness in the prediction of headache intensity.
Methods: The study was conducted descriptively by using the correlation method. The statistical population of this study was composed of 85 patients (56 females and 29 males) with one type of primary headache, which were selected through purposive sampling after the diagnosis of a headache by a neurologist at Imam Hossein Hospital in Tehran province. To measure the variables of the study, the numeric pain rating scale (NRS) and the pain-related cognitive processes questionnaire (PCPQ) were used. All data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency and percentages). Bivariate correlation matrix and hierarchical stepwise linear regression statistics were used.
Results: The results showed that there was a significant and negative association between pain intensity (NRS) and mindfulness (P < 0.01) and all pain-related cognitive processes, except pain focus (P < 0.01). The results of stepwise linear regression indicated that mindfulness only explains 39% of total score changes in pain intensity (P < 0.05 and ΔF (1 and 83) = 53.63, ΔR = 0.385). Adding cognitive processing styles to the model led to an 18% increase of the explained variance (R2 change = 0.179). In total, the present research model justifies 54% of the severity of headache variance (P < 0.01, ΔR = 0.54).
Conclusions: The results suggest that pain-related cognitive processes and mindfulness are effective on pain intensity prediction. In other words, this result can explain the role of mindfulness and adaptive cognitive processing in primary headache pain management.
Citations in the library
Cites 6
- Mindfulness Meditation for Primary Headache Pain: A Meta-Analysis. Chinese medical journal April 5, 2018
- The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Perceived Pain Intensity and Quality of Life in Patients With Chronic Headache. Global Journal of Health Science August 6, 2015
- Meditation for migraines: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain October 2014
- Toward a theoretical model for mindfulness-based pain management. Journal of Pain July 2014
- Mindfulness, Acceptance and Catastrophizing in Chronic Pain PLoS One January 29, 2014
and 1 more in the library