Sexual assault history and headache - Five general population studies

Headache is a common and disabling symptom. Although it is known that sexua l assault is as associated with a wide range of physical symptoms, little r esearch has addressed its association with headache. The present study eval uated this association in five independent samples of randomly selected hou sehold residents (pooled N = 7502). The weighted mean odds radio (OR) linki ng sexual assault and headache, controlling age and education, was 1.70 (95 % confidence interval [CI] = 1.40 2.07). Odds ratios were homogeneous acros s studies, and were similar regardless of participants' gender or ethnicity . Persons sexually assaulted in childhood consistently had greater odds of headache than those first assaulted in adulthood (OB = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.19, 2.99). These results indicate that sexual assault, particularly in childho od, is associated with headache.