AUTHOR=Operto Francesca Felicia , Craig Francesco , Peschechera Antonia , Mazza Roberta , Lecce Paola Alessandra , Margari Lucia TITLE=Parenting Stress and Emotional/Behavioral Problems in Adolescents with Primary Headache JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology VOLUME=8 YEAR=2018 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2017.00749 DOI=10.3389/fneur.2017.00749 ISSN=1664-2295 ABSTRACT=

Primary headache is a frequent and disabling disorder, common among children and adolescents, and it is a painful syndrome often accompanied by functional impairment and associated with emotional and behavior problems. The aim of this study was to investigate parenting stress and emotional/behavioral problems in adolescents affected by primary headache compared with healthy adolescents. The study population consisted of 35 adolescents and a control group of 23 healthy subjects. The assessment included the administration of clinical standardized scales such as Parent Stress Index-Short Form, Pediatric Migraine Disability Assessment Score Questionnaire, and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Headache group and control group did not differ in terms of parenting stress (p = 0.29). On the contrary, headache group showed more internalizing problems (p = 0.023), affective problems (p = 0.01), anxious (p = 0.001), and somatic complaints (p < 0.001) compared with control group. In addition, we found a significant correlation between PSI domains and specific CBCL subscales in the headache group. The findings emphasize the need for expanded intervention in the clinical treatment of pediatric headache, a treatment that may also include the family members. Further research is needed.