Alexithymia and psychopathological symptoms in adolescent outpatients and mothers suffering from migraines: a case control study

The Journal of Headache and Pain

Research Article

Carmela Valastro¹  Rita Cerutti¹  Valentina Spensieri¹  Vincenzo Guidetti²  Noemi Faedda²  Massimiliano Valeriani³  Samuela Tarantino³ 

[1] Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Via degli Apuli, 1, Rome, Italy;Department of Pediatrics and Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Sabelli, 108-00185, Rome, Italy;Headeache Center, Division of Neurology, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, Piazza S.Onofrio, 4, Rome, Italy;

关键词: Alexithymia;    Migraine;    Psychopathological risk;    Adolescents;    Mothers;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s10194-016-0640-y

 received in 2016-02-25, accepted in 2016-04-15,  发布年份 2016

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundHeadache is a common disorder affecting a growing number of children and adolescents. In recent years, there has been an increase in scientific interest in exploring the relationship between migraine and emotional regulation, and in particular, the impact of emotional dysregulation on mental and physical health. The present study aims to explore the relationship between migraine and alexithymia among adolescents and their mothers as well as the impact of this association on mental health. An additional aim is to verify whether alexithymia may be a predictor of psychopathological symptoms in adolescents and mothers with migraines.MethodsA total of 212 subjects were involved in this study. The sample was divided into (a) Experimental Group (EG) consisting of 106 subjects (53 adolescents and 53 mothers) with a diagnosis of migraine according to International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3) and (b) Control Group (CG) including 106 subjects (53 adolescents and 53 mothers) without a diagnosis of migraine. All participants completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale to assess alexithymia and the Symptom Checklist-90-R to assess psychopathological symptoms.ResultsHigher rates of alexithymia were found in the adolescents and mothers of the EG in comparison to the adolescents and mothers of the CG. Furthermore, adolescents and mothers experiencing both migraine and alexithymia, demonstrated a higher risk of psychopathology.ConclusionsFindings from this study provide evidence that the co-occurrence of migraine and alexithymia increases the risk of psychopathology for both adolescents and their mothers.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Cerutti et al. 2016