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Relation between headache in childhood and physical and psychiatric symptoms in adulthood: national birth cohort

P Fearon1, M Hotopf

  • 1Institute of Psychiatry and Guy's, King's and St Thomas's School of Medicine, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF. p.fearon@iop.kcl.ac.uk

BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.)
|May 12, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Children experiencing frequent headaches face a higher risk of adult headache, physical symptoms, and psychiatric issues. Early psychosocial support may improve long-term health outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Childhood headaches are linked to psychosocial factors.
  • Understanding these associations is crucial for predicting adult health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between frequent childhood headaches and psychosocial factors.
  • To assess the long-term risk of adult headache, physical symptoms, and psychiatric conditions in children with frequent headaches.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a population-based birth cohort study design.
  • Included participants from the National Child Development Study (established 1958).
  • Assessed headache, multiple physical symptoms, and psychiatric morbidity at age 33.

Main Results:

  • Childhood headache correlated with various psychosocial factors.
  • Children with frequent headaches showed increased adult risks for headache (OR 2.22), multiple physical symptoms (OR 1.75), and psychiatric morbidity (OR 1.41).
  • Adult headache and physical symptoms were independent of psychiatric morbidity.

Conclusions:

  • Childhood headache is a predictor of adult headache recurrence.
  • Children with headaches are also prone to other adult physical and psychiatric symptoms.
  • Interventions addressing childhood psychosocial adversity may enhance adult prognosis.
Abstract

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