The effect of stage of change education based on the use of pain coping mechanisms in female patients with migraine

 Along with the effectiveness of the drug therapy, it has been cleared that behavioral interventions and the use of pain coping mechanisms can reduce the consequences of migraine headaches. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of stage of change education based on the use of pain coping mechanisms in female patients with migraine.

In this experimental study, with the method multi-stage sampling was performed on 60 female patients with migraine in the experimental and control groups. Data were collected before and 2 months after training by using demographic questionnaire, Chronic Pain Coping strategies questionnaire, Pain self-efficacy scale, Pain stage of change algorithm and Knowledge scale. The experimental group received 5 sessions of 60-minute group training with targeted educational pamphlet. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 23) using chi-square, paired t-test and independent t-test.

The mean incidence, severity, and duration of migraine headaches improved after the intervention in the experimental group (P<0.05) Moreover, with the exception of the re-evaluation strategy and social support, the mean frequency of all coping strategies increased in experimental group after intervention (P<0.05). Also, mean score of knowledge and pain self-efficacy was increased in experimental group after intervention (P<0.001). The rank of the stage of readiness among patients in the experimental group increased after intervention and patients in the experimental group reported active stages of readiness (P<0.01).

Research findings emphasize the effectiveness of stage of change-based education to improve the use of pain coping management strategies and also, reduction of the frequency, severity, and duration of migraine headaches.