Accept The Impact On College Students' Cold-pressure Pain Response And Coping Strategies

OBJECTIVE:To investigate role of acceptance in-terms of cold pressor pain,and try to explore wheather the effects of mindfulness training on pain relate to the increase of pain acceptance.METHODS:The present research has two experiments.the first experiment is a correlate study, we analyze the relation between acceptace (assessed by experiential avoidance)and pain reactions.In the second experiment,we recruit some healthy university students who have emotional stress,they were randomly devided into experimental group and control group, Participants in the experimental group were offered6weeks mindfulness training. Pre-post Coping strategies Questionnaire and cold pressor test were administrated. During the cold pressor tests, data of pain acceptance,pain threshold,pain tolerance,subjective pain intensity,and distress intensity were collected.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Results of the first experiment indicated that individuals reporting higher level of acceptance had lower pain,distress and were less likely to report using catastrophizing coping strategies, but they had more pain endurance and tolerance. Results of the second experiment showed comparing with control group, Mindfulness Training could significantly improve participants'pain acceptance and reduce their distress,but didn't influence pain difference, pain threshold,endurance tolerance and coping strategies,yet they showed more positive changes, some indexes even reached borderline significant level.In the experimental group, participants who reported higher level of acceptance after training shower better reaction during cold water, when comparing participants who didn't report higher level of acceptance. The results suggest that6week-mindfulness training may be useful in helping healthy individuals accept pain and can reduce their distress when suffered with pain,while these results may relate to the increase of pain acceptance.