Self-Efficacy,Response Expectancy,and Temporal Context: Moderators of Pain Tolerance and Intensity

Abstract

We compared self-efficacy and response expectancy models of acute pain to determine whether self-efficacy for intensity and response expectancy are related and make distinct contributions to pain tolerance and intensity. We also hypothesized that self-efficacy expectancies would interact with temporal context to moderate acute pain. Specifically, we predicted that belief in one's ability to endure pain would maximize tolerance in an open-interval condition, and that expectancies of being able to regulate pain would minimize intensity in a fixed-interval condition. One hundred and twenty subjects were randomly assigned to four expectancy-enhancement conditions (self-efficacy for tolerance, self-efficacy for intensity, response expectancy, control) and two temporal contexts (open interval or fixed interval) after baseline pain data were collected. Correlations and regression analyses revealed that response expectancy was more strongly related to pain tolerance and intensity than was self-efficacy. A repeated measures MANOVA did not yield an Expectancy x Temporal Context interaction. We discuss the clinical and methodological implications of these findings.