Proposing a Measurement Model of REBT and Applying It to the Assessment of Well-Being and Happiness in Patients with Tension-Type Headaches

Abstract

Depression, anxiety, stress (DAS) are triggers of tension-type headaches. The current research investigates how irrational cognitions, according to the theory of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (tREBT), are associated with DAS. We determine how tREBT predicts well-being and happiness outcomes of people experiencing tension-type headaches through DAS. We use the Hybrid Model of Learning in Personality (HMLP) to provide a detailed model of cognitions associated with tREBT. This research aims to advance understanding of the psychological factors associated with tension-type headaches, and our measurement model of tREBT may help reverse declining research interest. Across two studies, using physicians and family members as third-party assessors of patients with tension-type headaches, we use HMLP to show how irrational cognitions are expressed through DAS in the prediction of patient well-being and happiness. Our results provide a new understanding of cognitions associated with tREBT, a measurement model of tREBT, and we identify cognitions associated with tension-type headaches. We conclude that learning and cognitive processes related to the development and maintenance of irrational beliefs are important in the prediction of the severity of tension-type headaches and their well-being outcomes. This information can be used to develop clinical applications, such as programs designed to increase success of health-promotion activities. We believe HMLP offers researchers a validated model of cognitive mechanisms associated with REBT and will encourage more mainstream empirical research of this theory and therapy. © 2021, Crown.