Observational study reveals psychological distress and pain catastrophizing exacerbate migraine severity in outpatients, highlighting the need for integrative behavioral care.
Key Points
Investigate the relationship between psychological factors—including anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and pain catastrophizing—and migraine severity, functional disability, and quality of life.
Evaluated 128 outpatient migraine patients attending clinics in SADAT City, Egypt.
Administered validated Arabic versions of the Migraine Disability Assessment, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire, and Perceived Stress Scale.
Conducted correlation and regression analyses to determine psychological predictors of migraine severity and quality of life.
Over two-thirds of participants exhibited elevated symptoms of anxiety and depression, with female participants reporting higher anxiety, depression, and pain catastrophizing than males.
Depression and perceived stress emerged as strong predictors of migraine severity and reduced quality of life, with anxiety and catastrophizing also contributing significantly.