Implementatie intenties verminderen vermijdingsgedrag op een pijnlijke taak

Abstract

Introduction: Hypervigilance and fear of pain can cause pain patients to avoid certain activities. Those activities include activities that might lead to recovery. The aim of this study was to find out whether implementation intentions that strengthen the mental connection between pain and a performance goal on a painful finger pressing task can reduce avoidance of a painful task in healthy participants. Method: 75 participants ranging from 17-27 years old were randomly assigned to 3 different groups. 1 group formed implementation intentions that strengthened the mental connection between pain and a performance goal, 1 group formed implementation intentions that created a mental connection between a neutral stimulus and a performance goal and 1 group formed goal intentions. The participants had to press a button 5 times per second, which resulted in a painful sensation in the arm of participants. To measure avoidance of the painful task, the time spended on the task and the number of presses were registered. The hypothesis was that implementation intentions that strengthened the mental connection between pain and a performance goal would lead to a greater reduction of avoidance compared implementation intentions that created a connection between a neutral stimulus and a performance goal and compared to goal intentions. Also it was expected that implementation intentions that created a mental connection between a neutral stimulus and a performance goal would lead to a greater reduction of avoidance than goal intentions. Results: Implementation intentions that strengthened the mental connection between pain and a performance goal led to a greater reduction of avoidance than goal intentions, but not than implementation intentions that created a connection between a neutral stimulus and a performance goal. Implementation intentions that created a mental connection between a neutral stimulus and a performance goal did not lead to a greater reduction of avoidance than goal intentions. Discussion: The findings of the current study suggest that implementation intentions that strengthen the mental connection between pain and a performance goal could be a useful instrument in reducing avoidance of painful activities in pain patients.