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Published on: June 2, 2014
Emotional Experience and Regulation in Juvenile Primary Headaches: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study
Marina Miscioscia1,2, Daniela Di Riso1, Silvia Spaggiari1
1Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, 35121 Padova, Italy.
Insights
Children with primary headaches experience more internalizing symptoms and negative emotions. Emotional regulation difficulties and lower emotional awareness in children and caregivers may contribute to these symptoms, highlighting the need for psychological assessment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Child Psychology
- Emotional Health
Background:
- Headaches are common neurological symptoms in children, with migraine (MH) and tension-type headache (TTH) as primary subtypes.
- Internalizing symptoms are more prevalent in children with headaches than externalizing symptoms, but underlying reasons remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between emotional experience, affective regulation, and internalizing symptoms in children with primary headaches and their caregivers.
- To identify predictors of internalizing symptoms in children experiencing migraines.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 50 children/adolescents with primary headaches and 51 healthy peers, along with their caregivers.
- Utilized self-report and parent-report measures to assess emotional experience, affective regulation, and internalizing symptoms.
Main Results:
- Children with primary headaches exhibited higher negative affect, internalizing symptoms, and lower bodily awareness of emotions compared to controls.
- Mothers of TTH children reported lower emotional awareness and greater difficulties with goal-directed behavior.
- Increased headache frequency correlated with greater emotional regulation difficulties. Negative affect, parent-reported internalizing symptoms, and reduced verbal sharing of emotions predicted children's internalizing symptoms.
Conclusions:
- Psychological factors, including emotional experience and regulation, are significantly linked to internalizing symptoms in children with primary headaches.
- Findings underscore the importance of evaluating psychological well-being in pediatric headache management.
Abstract:
A headache is the most common neurological symptom in children. Its subtypes are migraine (MH) and tension-type headache (TTH). Internalizing rather than externalizing symptoms are more frequent in children with headaches, but little is known about the reasons why. We aim to: (a) examine the interplay between emotional experience, affective regulation, and internalizing symptoms in children suffering from primary headaches and their caregivers; (b) identify potential predictors of children with migraines' internalizing symptoms. Fifty children and adolescents with a diagnosis of primary headaches and their caregivers were compared to a sample of fifty-one healthy peers and caregivers. Self-reports and parent-reports were administered. Results indicate higher negative affect and internalizing symptoms and lower bodily awareness of emotions in the clinical sample (n = 50; Mage = 11.66, SD = 2.25) compared to controls (n = 51; Mage = 11.73, SD = 2.32); mothers of TTH children self-reported lower emotional awareness and higher difficulties in engaging in goal-directed behavior; a higher frequency of headaches was associated with greater emotional regulation difficulties. Internalizing symptoms were predicted by higher self-reported negative affect and parent-reported internalizing symptoms, and lower self-reported ability in the verbal sharing of emotions. These findings suggest the importance of assessing the psychological features linked to children with primary headaches' psychological well-being.
