The Effectiveness of Coping Strategies training on Knowledge, Pain Specific Self-efficacy and Indicators of Migraine Headache

It has been proven that coping strategies and cognitive-behavioral techniques exert a positive impact on the improvement of negative emotions and the promotion of physical and mental health of patients with chronic headaches. The present study aimed to determine the effect of pain coping skills training interventions on knowledge, pain-specific self-efficacy, and the indices related to migraine headaches.

This randomized controlled trial was conducted on 60 patients with migraine headaches referring to specialized clinics in Anzali. They were assigned to experimental and control groups using randomized sampling. Data were collected using a demographic and personal questionnaire, Coping Strategies Questionnaire, Pain specific Self-efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ), and Knowledge Scale before and two months after the intervention. The educational intervention for the experimental group consisted of five 60-minute sessions, which was conducted in groups of 8-10 people. Chi-square test, independent and paired t-test, as well as one way ANOVA, were used for data analysis.

The obtained results were indicative of a significant increase in the mean score of knowledge and self-efficacy in the experimental group after the intervention (P<0.001). Moreover, the mean of frequency, severity, and duration of migraine headaches in the experimental group significantly decreased after the intervention (P<0.05). In addition, except for positive re-evaluation strategy, the mean frequency of using coping strategies significantly increased in the experimental group after the training (P<0.05).

It is recommended that specialized physicians and therapists provide intervention based on chronic pain strategies along with treatment protocols to control chronic headaches and improve the quality of life of patients with migraine headaches.