The role of absorption capacity in thermal biofeedback treatment of vascular headache

The clinical utility of Tellegen's Absorption Scale was examined using a sample of 32 chronic vascular headache patients drawn from a larger treatment study investigating the efficacy of thermal biofeedback with vascular headache. A regression analysis found that acquisition of the hand-warming response was directly related to increase in capacity for absorption. Conversely, a trend was found for absorption capacity to be inversely related to reductions in headache frequency and intensity. Reasons for these differences in process and outcome variables are discussed.