Emotional processing and its relationship to chronic headaches
Item
- Title
- Emotional processing and its relationship to chronic headaches
- Author(s)
- Goodwin, Charlotte
- Abstract
- Headache disorders are a global, common health problem. Whether of biological, psychological, or complex origin, chronic headaches (CH) present patients with challenges in finding effective treatment protocols from standard medical care; the majority of patients self-treat with over-the-counter pain medications that fail to resolve possible underlying conditions. A wealth of studies relating to the biopsychosocial (BPS) model of pain, which has been endorsed by the WHO, confirm the link between psychological distress and physical pain. Emotional processing (EP), which allows sufferers to identify, acknowledge, and manage distress in order to move beyond negative events, presents a potential psychological root to pain, as well as to pain management and resolution. While deficiencies in EP have been established as factors in a study of chronic low back pain (CLBP), it remains unclear whether EP plays a role in CH. This case-control study was designed to determine a link between dysfunctional EP and CH. Eighteen subjects with chronic headaches, and twenty-one controls, were assessed for EP using the Emotional Processing Scale (EPS-25) and the Headache Disability Questionnaire (HIT-6). Significant correlations between low EP and CH were found, with suppression of emotion being the strongest predictor of CLBP. Results confirm the need for a larger study, as well as suggesting the value of therapists being attuned to patients’ emotional states, and consideration of psychotherapy and mind-body therapies in treating potential underlying distress in CH sufferers.
- presented at
- British College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Date Accepted
- 2015
- Date Submitted
- 13.11.2018 13:52:22
- Type
- osteo_thesis
- Language
- English
- Number of pages
- 21
- Submitted by:
- 4457
- Pub-Identifier
- 16302
- Inst-Identifier
- 1076
- Recommended
- 0
- Item sets
- Thesis
Goodwin, Charlotte, “Emotional processing and its relationship to chronic headaches”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 4, 2024, https://www.osteopathicresearch.com/s/orw/item/2045