Psychosocial factors in children and adolescents with migraine and tension-type headache: A controlled study and review of the literature

We investigated 341 children and adolescents to evaluate the relevance of p sychosocial factors in idiopathic headache. According to the criteria of th e International Headache Society, 151 subjects had migraine and 94 had tens ion-type headache (TTH). Ninety-six subjects were headache-free controls. P sychosocial factors covered family and housing conditions, school problems, relations in the peer group, and several other items. We found that migrai ne patients did not differ from headache-free controls. Patients with TTH m ore often had divorced parents than the headache-free controls, and they ha d fewer peer relations than migraineurs and controls. In addition, migraine patients were significantly more often absent from school due to headache. All other psychosocial factors failed to discriminate between the three st udy groups, In conclusion, this controlled study in children and adolescent s suggests that migraine is not related to family and housing conditions, s chool situation, or peer relations, whereas TTH is associated with a higher rate of divorced parents and fewer peer relations.