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Published on: June 2, 2014
Childhood abuse and risk of migraine: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Jianyi Liu1, Yizhi Guo1, Zhihua Huang1
1Changde Hospital, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changde, China; The First People's Hospital of Changde City, Changde, China.
Background:
Childhood abuse is associated with an increased risk of migraines. However, the literature on this association is limited.
Objective:
To determine the pooled effect size of the association between childhood abuse and migraines.
Participants And Setting:
System review and meta-analysis.
Methods:
A systematic literature search for studies published until September 20, 2023, was performed using the Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science databases. Specifically, original articles reporting the statistical effect size (odds ratio) of the association between childhood abuse and migraines were selected. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random- or fixed-effects models. Publication bias was examined using funnel plots, and sensitivity analysis was used to explore the stability of the pooled results.
Results:
Twelve studies involving 110,776 participants were included. Individuals with childhood abuse (OR = 1.60, 95 % CI: 1.49, 1.71) were at increased risk of migraine when compared with individuals with no childhood abuse. Of the different types of childhood abuse examined, sexual abuse (OR = 1.71, 95 % CI: 1.43, 2.04), physical abuse (OR = 1.47, 95 % CI: 1.38, 1.56), and emotional abuse (OR = 1.71, 95 % CI: 1.52, 1.93) were associated with an increased risk of migraine.
Conclusions:
Childhood abuse increases migraine risk. Multifaceted interventions to curb abuse and related behaviors can effectively reduce migraine risk. However, considering that multiple factors, such as obesity and anxiety, are causatively associated with both childhood abuse and migraines, our findings should be interpreted with caution.
