Páez, M., Luciano M. C., Gutiérrez, O., Valdivia, S., Rodríguez, M., & Ortega, J. (2008). Coping with Pain in the Motivational Context of Values: Comparison between an Acceptance-based and a Cognitive-control-based Protocol. Behaviour Modification, 32(3), 403-422.
This study compares the effect of an acceptance –based and a cognitive-control-based protocol on three measures of pain coping: tolerance, self-report, and believability. Specific methodological controls were employed to further isolate the role of the value of participating in a pain task, as compared to previous investigations on the alteration of the function of aversive stimulation. Twenty participants were randomly assigned to one of the conditions (ACT vs CONT), and a pre-post design was used. In the ACT condition, the protocol was aimed at establishing a relation of coordination between the pain-related thoughts and the actions in the valued direction. In the CONT condition, the protocol established a relation of opposition between the same aspects. The results showed an increase in pain tolerance and a reduction of self-reported pain during the post-test for both conditions. However, participants in the ACT condition showed significantly lower believability of pain than participants in the CONT condition. Some conceptual and clinical implications are discussed.