title: Self-control and chronic headache.
abstract: The relationship between self-control and headache pain was studied in a sample of 42 female subjects with migraine or mixed migraine-muscle contraction headaches. Subjects completed questionnaires evaluating self-control tendencies and social desirability. The McGill Pain Questionnaire was also completed during a single representative migraine headache and daily ratings of headache severity (duration, intensity, disability due to pain) and medication intake were collected over a seven-week period. A significant discriminant function which resulted in 71% correct classification of High and Low Self-Control subjects was obtained. The pattern of responses associated with the high self-control group was characterized by lower ratings of pain intensity, less focus on sensory dimensions of pain and more frequent use of certain medications. A correlation between self-control and social desirability was also observed. These findings suggest that the trait self-control may be associated with a particular pattern of pain, although the influence of social desirability cannot be ruled out as an alternative explanation.
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics