Angela Keen

Date of Award

9-25-1992

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Jeffrey H. Holm

Abstract

The existing headache literature neglects to examine the possible differences between tension headache subjects and controls with regard to cognitive appraisals or coping styles. Also, despite the traditional view that tension headaches occur in close proximity to a stressor, there is limited empirical evidence supporting this idea (Ad Hoc Committee, 1962; Gannon, Haynes, Cuevas & Chavez, 1987). In addition, the results from studies on the efficacy of the traditional muscle-contraction model of tension headaches are ambiguous (Chapman, 1986; Hursey, Holroyd, Penzien & Holm, 1985).Lazarus and Folkman (1984) suggest that a person's ideas will have the greatest influence on appraisal when a given situation is ambiguous. Within this framework, there is recent evidence that tension headache sufferers may exhibit a negative bias when appraising ambiguous situations (Holm, Holroyd, Hursey, & Penzien, 1986). The present study attempted to further explore the possible cognitive appraisal and coping differences between tension headache subjects and headache-free controls. Subjects prepared and delivered an extemporaneous presentation on a controversial topic, as a laboratory stress procedure. They received interpersonal feedback from one of three randomly assigned feedback conditions: positive, negative, or ambiguous, from a trained confederate. Data from six questionnaires and physiological measures were studied for possible group differences.Results indicated that tension headache subjects tended to view their own coping resources and their capacities for coping more negatively than controls, supporting the Holm et al. (1986) negative bias hypothesis. Headache subjects in the present study tended to use avoidant coping strategies, while controls tended to use more active coping styles. Avoidant styles are generally thought to be less effective than the more active coping styles, and may perpetuate stress. Findings did not support the muscle-contraction model of tension headaches, as there were no physiological differences found between headache groups. Of the tension headache subjects without headaches at the beginning of the study, 28.57 percent developed a headache during the study, while none of the controls developed headaches. Findings support the widely accepted idea that psychosocial stress and tension headaches are related.

Download

Share

COinS