Risk factors for headache in children
Jennifer Gassmann1, Nuria Vath, Hester van Gessel
1Abteilung Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie, Georg-Elias-Müller-Institut für Psychologie der Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. jgassma2@uni-goettingen.de
Deutsches Arzteblatt International
|September 5, 2009
Summary
Family conflict and limited free time increase recurrent headache risk in boys. Parental responses to headaches are key for girls, impacting childhood headache development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric epidemiology
- Childhood health
Background:
- Recurrent headaches affect 10-30% of children globally, causing significant impairment.
- Identifying risk factors for childhood headaches is crucial for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate potential risk factors for recurrent headache development in children and adolescents.
- To analyze the influence of family characteristics and leisure activities on headache occurrence.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal epidemiological study "Children, Adolescents, and Headache" (KiJuKo).
- Four surveys conducted between 2003 and 2006, with initial data from 8800 households.
- Analysis of predictors from the first survey in the second survey (n=2952) for headache incidence.
Main Results:
- Boys with frequent family quarrels (>1/week) had 1.8x higher risk of recurrent headaches.
- Boys with "sometimes" free time had 2.1x higher risk.
- Girls whose parents reinforced headache occurrences (positively or negatively) had 25% higher risk.
Conclusions:
- Family conflict and leisure time are significant factors for recurrent headaches in boys.
- Parental response patterns play a crucial role in headache development for girls.
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