Parental Psychopathology and Migraine Headaches among Adolescent Girls

Abstract

Migraine headaches and depression often co-occur within individuals, and both syndromes run in families. However, knowledge about how these disorders relate across generations, as well as how migraine relates to other forms of psychopathology, is sparse. This study examined risk for migraine among female adolescent offspring of parents with different types of psychopathology. The sample was drawn from the Minnesota Twin Family Study, a community-based study of adolescents and their families (n = 674, 17-year-old female adolescents and their biological parents). Diagnoses of maternal, paternal and offspring major depression, antisocial behaviour, alcohol dependence and drug dependence were based on structured interviews. Migraine headaches in each family member were assessed via interviews with the mother. Parental depression, antisocial behaviour and drug dependence were associated with offspring migraine. These associations mostly remained significant even when parental migraine and the corresponding type of psychopathology in offspring were adjusted for. In contrast, there were no significant associations between parental psychopathology and offspring stomach problems, indicating that these associations did not extend to all offspring somatic symptoms. These results emphasize the need to look at antisocial behaviour and substancerelated problems when examining associations between migraine and psychopathology, and indicate that more research on inter-generational links between migraine and psychopathology is needed.

Alexithymic characteristics in pediatric patients with primary headache: a comparison between migraine and tension-type headache

“…This means that the mothers of patients with headaches did not show higher levels of alexithymia compared to other mothers. Differences, if any exist, between mothers of TTH and M patients and mothers of the control group, might lie in other aspects of emotional regulation implied in mood and anxiety disorders, which have an high incidence in parents of children with headache [ 17 , 40 , 41 ]. Future studies exploring these aspects may be useful to tackle important stressors and risk factors for the onset of headaches in genetically predisposed children [ 16 , 17 ].…”

“…Future studies should include fathers to further explore the mechanisms involved in family emotional functioning and in the intergenerational transmission of alexithymia [ 38 ]. Close family members need to be involved in the assessment of psychological traits and emotional competencies that may constitute a risk or, on the contrary, a protective factor for the onset of the child’s headache [ 16 , 17 , 40 , 41 ].…”

Parental and comorbid migraine in individuals with bipolar disorder: A nationwide register study

“…Similarly, studies have demonstrated an association between parental psychopathology and offspring headaches including migraine (Feldman et al, 2010; Marmorstein et al, 2009). However, to our knowledge, no previous study has examined the association between BD and comorbid migraine, adjusting for parental psychopathology.…”

Psychopathology in Children and Adolescents with Primary Headache and Higher Depression Levels in Mothers: A Controlled Study

“…10 Ebeveynlerinde psikopatoloji olan kız ergenlerin araştırıldığı bir çalışmada ise migren sıklığının daha fazla olduğu görülmüştür. 52 Çalışmamızda annelerde bulunan yüksek depresyon düzeyleri, baş ağrısı olan çocukların değerlendirilmesinde ebeveyn değerlendirilmesinin önemli olabileceğini göstermektedir. Araştırmalar çocuklardaki kronik ağrısı ile annelerin psikolojik durumu ve stres düzeyi ile iki yönlü bir ilişkisi olduğunu söylemektedir.…”