Effects of Mood Induction on the Pain Responses in Patients with Migraine and the Role of Pain Catastrophizing.

Abstract

Migraine has close associations with depression and anxiety. Catastrophizing, an alarmist reaction to pain, has been proposed as one of the mediators in the relationship between headache and emotional distress. However, much experimental evidence is needed to make such a view more validated. The aims of this study are to examine the effects of mood induction on the pain responses and to investigate the role of pain catastrophizing in the relationship between pain and mood amongst a sample of patients with migraine. For this purpose, 60 patients with migraine were recruited from a headache clinic in Tehran-Iran and were randomly assigned into one of three groups: negative mood induced group, positive mood induced group and control group. The following instruments and measures were used in this study: mood induction by presenting different types of films (positive, negative), a computerized cognitive task to elicit pain, Beck Depression Inventory and Pain Catastrophizing Scale. The results showed that while the induction of depressed mood increased the pain intensity, the induction of positive mood reduced it significantly (p < 0.05). Further analyses revealed that catastrophizing is as a confounding factor in the relationship between pain and mood. Once catastrophizing scores were entered into the analyses as a covariate, the significant effect of mood on the pain intensity reduced. In conclusion, both mood and catastrophizing are important factors in understanding the migraine pain. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed in the paper. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Pain-related catastrophizing and mood induction are important factors in understanding pain intensity amongst patients with migraine pain. Catastrophizing as a confounding factor in the relationship between pain and mood may partially mediate the relationship between mood and pain. Therapeutic interventions should focus on the reduction of depression and catastrophizing.