The Effects of Cognitive and Behavioral Control on Coping with an Aversive Health Examination

The effects of cognitive and behavioral control on coping with an aversive health examination were tested in a 2 x 2 factorial design. Cognitive control was represented by sensory or health-education information; instruction or no instruction in abdominal relaxation constituted the levels of behavioral control. The study was conducted in the natural setting of a family-planning clinic with 24 young women who were undergoing a routine pelvic examination. Subjects who received sensory information prior to the examination showed less distress, as indicated by overt distress behaviors and pulse rates, than did subjects who received health-education information. Cognitive control did not show a significant effect on self-report of fear. No significant effects were demonstrated for the factor of behavioral control. The results suggested that cognitive control information, which emphasizes the sensory experiences typically accompanying an aversive event, limits reactivity to aversive stimuli. The reduction in reactivity is thought to result in an increased ability to cope with aversive events.