Frequent or severe headaches in childhood are associated with notable pain, mental health issues and functional limitations. Headaches are common among children and adolescents, particularly migraine and tension-type headaches. They contribute to missed school days, affect their peer and family relationships and significantly impact children's quality of life.
Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA, evaluated 9,264 children between the ages of 4 and 17 years. They found that about 7 percent of the children experienced frequent or severe headaches during the previous 12 months. Compared with children without headaches, children with headaches were 3.5 times more likely to have a high level of emotional symptoms, 2.5 times more likely to have conduct problems, 3 times more likely to have symptoms of hyperactivity or inattention and 2 times more likely to have peer problems.
High levels of impairments were 3 times more frequent in children with headaches, which suggests potential mental health issues. These children were also 3 times more likely than children without headaches to be upset or distressed by their difficulties and to have these difficulties interfere with their home life, friendships, classroom learning, and leisure activities.
Overall, 82 percent of children with headaches and 78 percent of those without had visited a general physician in the previous 12 months. Children with headaches were also significantly more likely to have visited a mental health professional or a general physician in the previous year because of emotional or behavioural problems.
The researchers found that 6 percent of the children with headaches and 2 percent of those without headaches were receiving special education services for emotional or behavioural problems. Given the bidirectional relationship between mental health and headaches, both general doctors and mental health professionals should play an integral role in the care of these children.
Pediatrics,
May 2006
May 2006