Validation of the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) in patients with chronic migraine

Abstract

BackgroundThe Headache Impact Test (HIT)-6 was developed and has been validated in patients with various types of headache. The objective of this study was to report the psychometric properties of the HIT-6 among patients with chronic migraine.MethodsData came from two international, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials of chronic migraine patients (N = 1,384) undergoing prophylaxis therapy. Confirmatory factor analysis and differential item functioning (DIF) analysis were used to test the latent structure and cross-cultural comparability of the HIT-6. Reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness were assessed. Two sets of criterion groups were used: (1) 28-day headache frequency: <10, 10–14, and ≥15 days; (2) sample quartiles of the total cumulative hours of headache: <140, 140 to <280, 280 to <420, and ≥420 hours. Two sets of responsiveness categories were defined as reduction of <30%, 30% to <50%, or ≥50% in (1) number of headache days and (2) cumulative hours of headache.ResultsMeasurement invariance tests supported the stability of the HIT-6 latent structure across studies. DIF analysis supported cross-cultural comparability. Good reliability was observed across studies (Cronbach’s α: 0.75–0.92; intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.76–0.80). HIT-6 scores correlated strongly (−0.86 to −0.59) with scores of the Migraine-Specific Quality-of-Life Questionnaire. Analysis of variance indicated that HIT-6 scores discriminated across both types of criterion groups (P<0.001), across studies and time points. HIT-6 change scores were significantly higher in magnitude in groups experiencing greater improvement (P<0.001).ConclusionAll measurement properties were consistently verified across the two studies, supporting the validity of the HIT-6 among chronic migraine patients.Trial registrationNCT00156910 and NCT00168428 on www.ClinicalTrials.gov.

What Factors Contribute to Headache-Related Disability in Teens?

“…22–24 It has high reliability and correlates well with the Migraine Disability Assessment Scale, headache pain severity, and the number of headaches per month. 23, 25–27 It is also sensitive enough to detect improvements associated with pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments.…”

Patients With Migraine Have Substantial Reductions in Measures of Visual Quality of Life

“…[14][15][16][17] Permission to use the MSQOL v2.1 was obtained from Glaxo SmithKline. The Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) and Migraine-specific Quality of Life Questionnaire version 2.1 (MSQOL v2.1) are wellvalidated questionnaires designed to assess overall headache impact and quality of life.…”

Quality of life in patients with chronic migraine: relation to migraine severity, depression and sleep disturbances

“…Каждый пациент самосто-ятельно заполнял опросники для оценки КЖ, степени дезадаптации и нетрудоспособности, выраженности де прессии, тревоги, а также нарушения сна: тест по оценке влияния ГБ 6 на КЖ (Headache Impact Test 6, HIT-6) [23]; опросник оценки дезадаптации при миг-рени (Migraine Disability Assessment questionnaire, MIDAS) [24]; шкалу Бека для оценки депрессии [25]; тест Спилбергера-Ханина для оценки тревожности [26]; анкету балльной оценки субъективных характеристик сна [27].…”