Treatment Expectancy and Therapeutic Change in Treatment of Migraine Headache: Are They Related?

Abstract

The present study attempted to assess subjects' perceptions of treatment effectiveness, plausibility of rationale, and willingness to participate in an experimental project for the treatment of migraine headache. Treatment expectancy was assessed for three experimental treatments (relaxation training, biofeedback training, and social skills training) and for two standard treatments (pharmacotherapy and insight psychotherapy) both prior to assignment to a treatment group and at the end of eight treatment sessions 4 wk. later. Data indicated that: (1) subjects did not change in their expectancy of the experimental treatments over time; (2) the three experimental treatments were perceived by subjects as being at least as plausible, effective, and desirable as the two comparison treatments; and (3) the three aspects of expectancy measured were significantly correlated. Implications of these results were discussed with respect to whether improvement occurring as a result of the experimental treatments could be entirely attributed to expectancy or to other non-specific effects.