The Influence of Anxiety and Depression on Headache in Adolescent Migraineurs: A Case-Control Study Publisher Pubmed



Jafari E¹ ; Kazemizadeh H¹ ; Togha M¹ ; Haghighi S¹ ; Salami Z¹ ; Shahamati D¹ ; Martami F² ; Baigi V³ ; Etesam F⁴
Source: Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics Published:2022

Abstract

Background: Migraine is commonly linked to a range of psychiatric comorbidities, primarily anxiety and depression. The present study compared the frequency of anxiety and depression disorders in migraine and non-migraine adolescents and evaluated the relation of depression and anxiety to migraine characteristics. Methods: In this case-control study, 234 adolescents (112 migraineurs and 122 non-migraine adolescents) aged 13–18 years were evaluated. A headache questionnaire as well as the Beck Anxiety Inventory and Children’s Depression Inventory were completed to investigate the prevalence of headache, anxiety, and depression. Results: The average age of participants was 15.77±2 years in the case group and 15.39±1.79 years in the control group. We found significantly higher levels of mild, moderate, and severe anxiety (38.4%, 23.2%and 23.2% respectively) in the migraine group compared to the control group (24.2%, 5.8%and 10.0% respectively) (p<0.001). Significantly more children in the control group (29.6%) than in the case group (10.1%) had a non-depressive CDI score (p=0.005). There was a significant difference between patients with moderate and severe anxiety in terms of attack frequency and duration. Depressed migraineurs recorded higher attack severities and frequencies than migraineurs without depression. Conclusion: Anxiety and depression are common in adolescents with migraine and can be associated with more burdensome attacks. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.