RELATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS OF LIFE EVENTS VERSUS DAILY HASSLES TO THE FREQUENCY AND INTENSITY OF HEADACHES

This study investigated headache parameters (frequency and intensity) in relation to (the number and severity of) two types of psychosocial stress: major life events (as assessed by a revised Social Readjustmen t Rating Scale) and minor daily hassles (as assessed by a revised Hass les Scale). Subjects were 261 volunteers reporting headache. Results r evealed that both headache frequency and intensity were significantly predicted by daily hassles, in particular, the average severity of the se hassles, but there was a negligible relationship between headache p arameters and any of the life event measures. Furthermore, a significa nt relationship emerged between life events and daily hassles themselv es. This fits with recent findings that life events (while exerting li ttle direct effect on headache) may trigger a succession of hassles wh ich culminate in headaches. Also, it is not the number of hassles, but the perceived severity of these hassles that best predicts headache f requency and intensity. Finally, though significant as predictors, dai ly hassles explained a small portion of the variance in headache, thus pointing to the host of other possible biological and psychosocial co ntributions to headache.