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Acceptance and chronic pain is an emerging topic both for research and intervention. Initial studies have demonstrated that acceptance is correlated with higher quality of daily emotional, social, and physical functioning in chronic pain populations. The purpose of the present study was to clarify the nature of the relationship between acceptance, appraisals that are relevant to chronic pain (i.e., control and catastrophizing), and coping among migraine headache sufferers. Seventy four participants with migraine headaches completed self report measures assessing appraisal, coping strategies, acceptance, and pain related disability. Sixty three participants also completed a 28-day daily dairy assessing headache activity, catastrophizing, control, acceptance, and coping strategies. Hierarchical regression and multilevel modeling were used to examine the relations between these variables. Results indicated that higher levels of pain-related acceptance were associated with lower levels of catastrophizing and pain-related interference, and increased perceived control. Participants who endorsed higher levels of pain-related acceptance also reported engaging in a higher level of activity and indicated they used fewer coping strategies on a daily basis. Acceptance continues to show promise as a way of viewing pain that lessens the detrimental impact of certain types of thoughts (i.e., catastrophizing), and leads to increased participation in daily life.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how migraine headache sufferers and headache-free controls differ in their appraisal and coping responses to a cognitive (mental arithmetic) and a physical (cold pressor) laboratory stressor. Fifty-two women (26 migraine headache and 26 controls) completed the study. Results indicated that migraine sufferers rated the cold pressor task as significantly more painful compared to headache-free participants. Migraine headache sufferers also reported more wishful thinking and self-criticism in managing the mental arithmetic stressor. In addition, migraine participants reported the use of more social withdrawal and catastrophizing in managing stress and pain outside of the laboratory.