RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN AROUSAL-RELATED MOODS AND EPISODIC TENSION-TYPEHEADACHE - A BIOPSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY

An exploratory study was conducted examining arousal-related moods and episodic tension-type headache. Twelve subjects meeting International Headache Society criteria for episodic tension-type headache and 12 h eadache-free controls recorded headache activity and mood eight times daily for 14 consecutive days. Moods were measured using the Activatio n-Deactivation Adjective Check List, a self-report list that subjectiv ely represents general arousal along two dimensions of Tension and Ene rgy. Headache subjects had higher Tension levels than controls even in the absence of pain, and greater variation in this dimension as well. Within the headache group, Tension during pain-free periods was signi ficantly lower than when experiencing headache, and was correlated wit h headache activity. The results were taken to support Thayer's (1989) biopsychological model of mood and arousal, and are discussed in term s of the model's heuristic value for general arousal and headache rese arch.