The effectiveness of a hope intervention in coping with cold pressor pain.
Hope has been correlated with greater pain tolerance and thresholds and less reported pain severity. The present study investigated the effectiveness of a brief hope-based intervention involving guided imagery and skills instruction aimed at enhancing pain coping skills among university students performing the cold pressor task. The intervention resulted in increased hope among females and increased pain tolerance in all participants. The intervention did not affect pain threshold and resulted in marginally increased pain severity. Thus, this intervention facilitates better pain tolerance without necessarily changing the experience of the pain. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Berg
Carla J
CJ
University of Minnesota, Department of Medicine, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. cjberg@umn.edu
Snyder
C R
CR
Hamilton
Nancy
N
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D059408:Pain Management; D011312:Pressure; D012932:Social Facilitation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome