"Childhood Maltreatment and Migraine"

The study finds that abuse in childhood is linked to migraines and other pain disorders in adulthood, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), interstitial cystitis (IC) and arthritis. According to the study, migraineurs reporting childhood emotional or physical abuse and/or neglect had a significantly higher number of such pain conditions compared to those without a history of maltreatment. Nearly 60 percent of migraineurs reported experiencing childhood trauma either by abuse or neglect.

The study, which surveyed a total of 1348 patients diagnosed with migraines, was conducted by researchers from the Women's Issues Section Research Consortium at the American Headache Society. Full findings of the study's three parts appear in the January issue of "Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain," published on behalf of the American Headache Society.

Part I: Prevalence and Adult Revictimization: A Multicenter Headache Clinic Survey
Part II: Emotional Abuse as a Risk Factor for Headache Chronification
Part III: Association With Comorbid Pain Conditions