Quality of Life in Adolescents with Primary Headache May be Associated with Anxiety, Depression, and Negative Automatic Thoughts

Objectives:In this study, it was aimed to examine the relationship between anxiety, depression and negative automatic thoughts and quality of life of adolescents with primary headache.Materials and Methods:Eighty-six adolescents, who applied to the Ministry of Health Ordu University Training and Research Hospital Pediatric Neurology Outpatient Clinic with chronic headache, were included in the study. In this study, Visual pain scale, KIDDO-KINDL quality of life, state-trait anxiety scale (SAS), child depression scale (CDS), and children’s automatic thoughts (CAT) scales were evaluated.Results:The mean age of the adolescents in the study was 13.7 years [standard deviation SD: 2.0]. 72.1% (n=62) of the cases were female and 27.9% (n=24) were male. While the mean headache duration was 5.6 (SD=6.7) hours, the mean pain intensity was 6.8 according to the visual pain scale (SD=1.7). Headache severity reported by girls was significantly higher than that reported by boys (p=0.035). SAS and CDS scores were significantly correlated with quality of life (QoL) scores (rho=-0.623, p=0.001; rho=-0.690, p=0.001). A moderate negative correlation was observed between CAT and QoL (rho=0.584, p=0.002). In linear regression analysis, the variables of gender, pain duration, pain intensity, SAS, CDI and CAT explained 53.2% of the variance in KIDDO-KINDL scores. The regression equation was statistically significant, but none of the variables reached a significant level individually [F (6,12)=4.4; p=0.014].Conclusion:Anxiety, depression levels and automatic thoughts seem to be associated with quality of life in adolescents with primary headache.