An appraisal of the fit of a cognitive behavioural model of headache in University students

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the fit of a cognitive behavioural model of headache in the population of University students, from Córdoba,Argentina. The direct and indirect contributions to pain intensity of control beliefs, beliefs and thoughts about pain and coping strategies weredetermined, as were the direct contributions of pain behaviours and disability. The sample was comprised of 382 students of both genders fromseveral Universities. Multiple instruments were administered to measure the variables proposed in the cognitive behavioural model of headachefollowed by a descriptive and exploratory analysis of the data. Structural equation modelling was used and revealed an acceptable fit of the modelbut with lower levels than the criteria proposed. The model was therefore redefined by eliminating two indicators and was then found to achieve abetter fit (CFI = .91; GFI = .95) and an optimal RMSEA index of .05. The new model explained 47% of the variance of headache intensity. All thevariables of the model predicted pain intensity directly, with beliefs and thoughts about pain having the greatest predictive value (β = 0.68).© 2018 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Asociación Mexicana de Comportamiento y Salud. This is an open access article under theCC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).