Associations of Sociodemographic and Psychosocial Factors with Headache Symptom Among Indonesian Adolescents Based on the 5th Wave of the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS-5)

Abstract

Background: Headaches are common among children and adolescents, with more than half of adolescents reporting headache symptom worldwide. The number of migraine sufferers among adolescents has increased dramatically in the past decade. Headache has negatively influenced children and has been linked with emotional and behavioral problems. Study Design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: This study was conducted using secondary data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) to evaluate the relationship between sociodemographic and psychosocial factors in Indonesian adolescents and headaches. We used data from the fifth wave of IFLS, which was conducted between September 2014 and April 2015. The figures represent roughly 83% of the Indonesian population. We investigated the possible relationship between sociodemographic and psychosocial factors in adolescents with headaches. Results: A total of 3605 participants (1875 females and 1730 males) aged 15 to 19 years with headache symptom were included in the study. Headache was associated with sleep disturbances (OR 1.99; 95% CI: 1.72, 2.30), depression (OR 1.94; 95% CI: 1.65, 2.28), and female gender (OR 1.72; 95% CI: 1.50, 1.98). Other factors contributing to headaches include poor/moderate sleep quality (OR 1.25; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.45) and low income (OR 1.22; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.48). Conclusion: In Indonesian adolescents aged 15 to 19 with headaches, sleep disturbances were the dominant factor associated with headache occurrence. Other factors such as depression, female gender, low socioeconomic status (SES), and poor/moderate sleep quality showed a positive association with headaches but further large population-based studies with more refined variables are needed to elucidate this association.

The prevalence and associated factors for primary headache disorders in adolescents in eastern Sudan: a community-based cross-sectional study

“…Among 5,944 adolescents (50.7% boys and 49.3% girls), being female was associated with an increased risk of having a headache in Turkey ( 7 ). Girls also showed a significantly higher headache frequency than boys among adolescents in Germany ( 10 ), Indonesia ( 11 ), Lithuania (except tension headache) ( 16 ), and Brazil ( 15 ). On the other hand, no such association was observed with gender among Canadian adolescents ( 14 ), and only a weak association was reported between migraine, tension headache, and female gender among adolescents in Zambia ( 17 ).…”

“…The current study was conducted in one city in eastern Sudan; hence, its results may not be generalizable to other regions of Sudan. Several factors, such as anxiety, depression ( 11 , 13 ), sleep disturbance ( 11 , 15 ), atopic disease, and iron-deficiency anemia ( 33 ), were reported to be associated with headache in adolescents, and we have not assessed these factors. Nor did we follow up with these adolescents; if we had, perhaps some findings could have been further investigated via MRI and other tools.…”

“…It has recently been shown that headache is the leading reported cause of school absenteeism among children and adolescents ( 7 ). Although the exact etiology of primary headache disorders among adolescents is not yet fully understood ( 8 ), several factors, such as age ( 7 , 9 ), sex ( 4 , 10 , 11 ), obesity, underweight ( 12 ), anxiety/depression ( 11 , 13 , 14 ), and sleep disorders ( 11 , 15 ) are associated with primary headache disorders among children and adolescents. Recent reports show varied primary headache disorders rates among adolescents in different countries ( 3 , 7 , 9 – 11 , 16 ).…”

“…Although the exact etiology of primary headache disorders among adolescents is not yet fully understood ( 8 ), several factors, such as age ( 7 , 9 ), sex ( 4 , 10 , 11 ), obesity, underweight ( 12 ), anxiety/depression ( 11 , 13 , 14 ), and sleep disorders ( 11 , 15 ) are associated with primary headache disorders among children and adolescents. Recent reports show varied primary headache disorders rates among adolescents in different countries ( 3 , 7 , 9 – 11 , 16 ). There are few published data on primary headache disorders among adolescents in Africa ( 17 – 20 ), although high-quality primary headache disorders studies in this age group are urgently needed.…”