The Experiences of Women Using the Psychological/Mind-Body Component of Nonpharmaceutical Approaches to Cope with Stress Associated with Headaches

A significant number of people experience headaches daily. Stress can trigger headaches, and many studies addressed headaches, stress and coping, resiliency, and nonpharmaceutical treatment. However, few studies addressed women's experiences coping with headaches using nonpharmaceutical interventions. Coping theory and the construct of resiliency were used as a lens through which to view how participants described their experiences. The research question that guided this study focused on understanding women's experiences of coping with the stress of headaches: cognitive approaches used to change thoughts about headaches, learning to identify headache triggers, and managing stress by using relaxation techniques such as meditating, listening to music, yoga, and massage. The transcendental phenomenological approach was used to analyze data for coding, discovering themes, connecting to theoretical concepts and member checking. The results of this study showed that a difference in thought about coping with headaches through helpful interventions, consistency in continued use of the interventions, and resiliency regardless of adversities led to the ongoing use of the interventions. Information from participants' experiences has implications for positive social change that will benefit those who suffer from headaches in several ways: by enhancing the development of educational programs for coping with the stress of headaches, determining coping strategies that will help reduce pain, creating awareness of headache triggers to help prevent headaches, and reducing the use of pharmaceutical treatments for headaches by using helpful nonpharmaceutical interventions.