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Coping with Cold-Pressor Pain: Effects of Mood and Covert Imaginal Modeling

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Abstract

Thirty volunteers participated in cold-pressor pain hand-immersions to investigate the effects of moods on imaginai model interventions. Participants (N = 30) were randomly assigned to one of three treatments. Pleasant and unpleasant imageries induced participant mood states. Participants experienced either (a) pleasant imaginai scenes followed by imaginai models, (b) unpleasant imaginai scenes followed by imaginai models or, (c) no intervention. Two-way repeated measures analyses of variance (ANOVAS) and a one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were conducted. Unpleasant mood induction participants reported more negative moods (i.e., sadness, worry) than no treatment controls. Pleasant mood induction participants reported a significant decrease in anger. Pleasant mood induction participants showed significant increases in pain tolerance after treatment. Other groups showed nonsignificant differences in ability to tolerate pain. Hypotheses are given for the results. Results suggest that pleasant moods may have beneficial effects on pain coping interventions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, USA

    James B. Hertel

  2. Department of Psychology, Arts and Sciences Building, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI, 54481, USA

    Hamid M. Hekmat

Authors
  1. James B. Hertel
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  2. Hamid M. Hekmat
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Additional information

This research study was carried out at the Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. James B. Hertel is presently a counseling psychology doctoral candidate at the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Hamid M. Hekmat is a professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. We gratefully acknowledge Paul B. Gold for his editorial comments in preparation of this manuscript.

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Hertel, J.B., Hekmat, H.M. Coping with Cold-Pressor Pain: Effects of Mood and Covert Imaginal Modeling. Psychol Rec 44, 207–220 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395128

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