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Biobehavioral treatment, disability, and psychological effects of pediatric headache
Scott W Powers1, Frank Andrasik
1Headache Center, Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, OH 45229-3039, USA.
Insights
Prompt biobehavioral treatments are crucial for pediatric headache management, improving outcomes and reducing medication needs. Early intervention ensures children experience less pain and disability, preventing long-term issues.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Behavioral Medicine
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Headaches are prevalent in children and adolescents, causing significant pain and functional impairment.
- Untreated pediatric headaches often persist into adulthood, highlighting the need for early intervention.
- Comprehensive care is essential to prevent long-term consequences of pediatric headaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To emphasize the importance of prompt and effective intervention for pediatric headaches.
- To highlight the central role of biobehavioral treatments in managing pediatric headaches.
- To advocate for a collaborative approach involving various medical specialists for optimal pediatric headache care.
Main Methods:
- Integrating biobehavioral treatment components into pediatric headache care plans.
- Utilizing biofeedback-assisted relaxation training.
- Promoting adherence to medication and healthy behaviors to reduce headache activity.
Main Results:
- Biobehavioral treatments lead to better initial clinical outcomes for pediatric headaches.
- These treatments may reduce the necessity for medication and sustain long-term effects.
- Improved quality of life and reduced functional disability are key outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Biobehavioral treatment is foundational for effective pediatric headache care.
- A multidisciplinary approach involving primary care, child neurologists, and behavioral medicine experts is optimal.
- Measuring outcomes should include pain parameters, functional disability, and quality of life.
Abstract:
Headache is a common condition among children and adolescents, and it can result in considerable pain, distress, and functional disability. Lacking proper care, many children will continue to experience headaches into adulthood. These considerations point to the importance of prompt, effective, and early intervention for pediatric headache. Biobehavioral treatments are central to such intervention. From promotion of adherence to optimal use of abortive and prophylactic medications to health behaviors that reduce headache activity to biofeedback-assisted relaxation training, the addition of biobehavioral treatment components to a comprehensive pediatric headache care plan can lead to better initial clinical outcomes, may lessen the need for medication, and may help maintain effects over the long term. Attention to the effects of headache and the accompanying psychological distress is an equally important part of treatment. Indeed, outcomes should be measured in terms of pain parameters (headache frequency, duration, severity) and effect on functional disability and quality of life (school absences, mood, satisfaction with pain relief). Optimal care for children and adolescents with headache can be realized with collaboration among primary care practitioners and headache specialists such as child neurologists and pediatric behavioral medicine experts. Biobehavioral treatment is a foundation for provision of such care.
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