Effects of Cognitive and Pharmacologic Strategies on Analogued Labor Pain

Abstract

Using an analogued labor pain procedure, the efficacy of combinations of five cognitive and one pharmacologic approach to pain management was examined. Nulliparous undergraduates (N = 120) were randomly assigned to 1 of 12 groups. Cognitive groups included: systematic desensitization (SYS DENS); sensory description (SEN DESC); sensory transformation (ST); modeling (M); and relaxation (R); combined groups: SYS DENS, SEN DESC, and ST; SEN DESC, ST, and R; SEN DESC, R, ST, and Demerol. Pharmacologic groups included expected Demerol, did not expect Demerol, placebo, and no treatment control. Subjects assigned to a cognitive group received two 1-hour training sessions 1 week apart. Remaining subjects were given the assigned pharmacologic treatment one-half hour prior to the exposure to the painful stimulus. Assessment of the cognitive and pharmacologic approaches were made in a 1-hour session involving twenty 80-second exposures to a laboratory pain stimulus patterned to resemble labor contractions. Dependent variables included self-reported pain, blood pressure, frontalis electromyograph, heart rate, and respiratory rate. Significant treatment by trials and treatment effects were found for self-reported pain. No other effects achieved statistical significance.