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Learning Objective 1: After review of the poster, the learner will be able to identify comorbid mental health conditions that may present with chronic headaches.
Learning Objective 2: After review of the poster, the learner will be able to describe the relationship between chronic headaches and at least one demographic factor.
Method: A descriptive correlation study was conducted with 493 high school teens. Key variables measured included depressive symptoms, anxiety, anger, self-concept, disruptive behavior, headache frequency and disability, and lifestyle beliefs. Students were recruited from high schools in the Southwest United States.
Findings: Significant positive correlations were found among headache frequency, headache disability, depressive symptoms, anxiety, anger, and disruptive behavior. A significant negative correlation existed among these variables and self-concept and beliefs. Beliefs were positively correlated with self-concept.
Discussion: This study demonstrated that as cognitive beliefs about healthy lifestyles increase so does the adolescents’ self-concept, while the level of anxiety, anger, depressive symptoms, and disruptive behavior decreases. Finally, as headache frequency and disability increases, so does the level of depressive symptoms, anxiety, anger, and disruptive behavior. The adolescents’ self-concept decreases with increase frequency and disability of headaches and headache disability increases with increased headache frequency.
Implications and Plans for Future: Findings from this study will inform a doctoral study that will examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of implementing a cognitive skills building intervention for teens with chronic daily headaches. The results from this dissertation study may provide evidence to fill a much-needed gap for theory-based interventions that are effective for teens with chronic headaches.
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