title: Effects of cognitive and pharmacologic strategies on analogued labor pain.
abstract: Using an analogued labor pain procedure, the efficacy of combinations of five cognitive and one pharmacologic approach to pain management was examined. Nulliparous undergraduates (N = 120) were randomly assigned to 1 of 12 groups. Cognitive groups included: systematic desensitization (SYS DENS); sensory description (SEN DESC); sensory transformation (ST); modeling (M); and relaxation (R); combined groups: SYS DENS, SEN DESC, and ST; SEN DESC, ST, and R; SEN DESC, R, ST, and Demerol. Pharmacologic groups included expected Demerol, did not expect Demerol, placebo, and no treatment control. Subjects assigned to a cognitive group received two 1-hour training sessions 1 week apart. Remaining subjects were given the assigned pharmacologic treatment one-half hour prior to the exposure to the painful stimulus. Assessment of the cognitive and pharmacologic approaches were made in a 1-hour session involving twenty 80-second exposures to a laboratory pain stimulus patterned to resemble labor contractions. Dependent variables included self-reported pain, blood pressure, frontalis electromyograph, heart rate, and respiratory rate. Significant treatment by trials and treatment effects were found for self-reported pain. No other effects achieved statistical significance.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000698:Analgesia / Q000379:methods*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003887:Desensitization, Psychologic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D008606:Mental Processes; D008614:Meperidine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D059408:Pain Management; D011247:Pregnancy; D012064:Relaxation Therapy; D012119:Respiration
chemical_list: D008614:Meperidine