Behavioural treatment to improve stress - Budzynski et al Flashcards
Name the aim of the Budzynski study?
To see whether biofeedback is an effective method of reducing tension headaches
What was the method used in the study?
Experimental method, with patients being trained in a laboratory
How was data collected?
By measuring muscle tension using an EMG feedback machine with electrodes on the muscles producing a graph of muscle tension
What else were participants given to test depression and headaches?
Psychometric tests
Who were the particpants in the Budzynski study?
18 participants, 16 females, 2 males - who replied to an advertisement in a local paper in Colarado
What was done before the study to ensure that there were no other reasons for their headaches?
Respondents were initially screened by telephone, and then underwent psychiatric and medical examinations
What type of design was used in this study?
Independent design
How many groups were participants randomly allocated to?
3
For how long did participants have to record of their headaches?
2 weeks
How many sessions of training did Groups A and B receive?
16, with 2 sessions each week for 8 weeks
Describe Group A
Participants had biofeedback sessions with relaxation training and EMG feedback. They were taught relaxation and told the ‘clicks’ of the biofeedback machine would reflect their muscle tension, with slower clicks indicating less muscle tension
Describe Group B
Group B had relaxation training but only had pseudo-feedback. This was a tape recording of real biofeedback, from another persons session, but it was obviously not linked to the participants relaxation
Describe Group C
Group C was the control group who were told they were on a waiting list, but were asked to come to the laboratory for appointments to keep them in the study and to control for attention the others might be getting
What was the difference between Group A and Group B’s muscle tension after 3 months?
Group A’s muscle tension was significantly lower
What else had improved in Group A?
Headaches dropped significantly from their baseline
What decreased in Group A?
Drug usage
What did Budzynski conclude from the results?
That biofeedback is an effective way of training patients to relax and reduce their tension headaches, so can be seen as an effective method of stress management
What was concluded about relaxation training?
That it is more effective than just being monitored, but is better when used together with biofeedback
