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
Insights
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.
Background:
10% to 30% of all children worldwide suffer from headaches at least once a week, potentially constituting a serious health problem that may lead to impairment in multiple areas. Therefore, one aim of the epidemiological longitudinal study "Children, Adolescents, and Headache" (KiJuKo) is the study of potential risk factors for the development of recurrent headaches.
Methods:
In the first survey (2003), questionnaires were sent to 8800 households with a child between 7 and 14 years of age. Three further surveys followed, one each year from 2004 to 2006. A number of predictors having to do with family characteristics and leisure activities were identified on the basis of the first survey and were then studied in the second survey (n = 2952) with respect to their influence on the new occurrence of headaches.
Results:
The risk of developing recurrent headaches between the first and the second survey was elevated by a factor of approximately 1.8 for boys who experienced quarrels in the family more than once per week, and by a factor of 2.1 for boys who only "sometimes" had free time for themselves. The risk of developing recurrent headaches was 25% higher in girls whose parents' behavior towards the child positively or negatively reinforced the occurrence of headaches.
Conclusions:
These findings are in accordance with those of other studies showing that, for boys, the frequency of quarreling in the family and the extent of leisure time are major factors in the development of recurrent headaches. For girls, the manner in which the parents respond to the child's headache seems to be important.
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