Causal Modeling of Pain Perception in Migraine Sufferers Based on Distress Intolerance with the Mediating Role of Fear of Disease Progression:A Descriptive Study

Migraine is the second neurological disorder with deep pain that causes a wide range of problems for the affected people and those around them. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to model the causality of pain perception in migraine sufferers based on distress intolerance with the mediating role of fear of disease progression.

The current research is descriptive and the statistical population included all people with migraine who referred to clinics and neurologists' offices in Mashhad in 2022; out of which, 200 applicants were selected as a sample using the convevience sampling method. And they responded to Simons and Gaher's Emotional Distress Tolerance, Melzack's Pain Perception, and Herschbach et al.’s Fear of Disease Progression Questionnaires. To analyze the data, structural equation modeling was used.

A positive and significant relationship was observed between pain perception score and fear of disease progression score (r=0.470, p<0.01), and a negative and significant relationship was observed between pain perception score and distress tolerance score (r=-0.425, p<0.01). Furthermore, emotional distress tolerance had indirect association with pain perception through affecting the fear of disease progression.

The findings showed that the fear of disease progression plays a mediating role between the intolerance of distress and the perception of pain in migraine sufferers. Considering the association of pain perception and intolerance of distress and fear of disease progression in migraine, psychologists and specialists can use the improvement of these factors to increase the effectiveness of other methods for migraine treatment.