Premium
A Diary Study of Basic Psychological Needs and Daily Headache Experience
Author(s) -
Greene Nathaniel R.,
Smith C. Veronica,
Jewell Devin E.,
Smitherman Todd A.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
headache: the journal of head and face pain
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.14
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1526-4610
pISSN - 0017-8748
DOI - 10.1111/head.13273
Subject(s) - competence (human resources) , autonomy , headaches , migraine , psychology , self determination theory , basic needs , medicine , patient satisfaction , clinical psychology , quality of life (healthcare) , physical therapy , psychiatry , psychotherapist , surgery , social psychology , poverty , political science , law , economics , economic growth
Objective A diary study was conducted to investigate the relationships between headache activity and basic psychological needs satisfaction. Methods One hundred sixteen young adults (M age = 19.17 (SD = 2.90); 81.7% female; 75.9% Caucasian) completed an online daily diary of headache activity and needs satisfaction for 3 weeks. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Results On days when headache occurred, participants reported decreased needs satisfaction of competence ( γ 10 = −0.18, P = .014) and relatedness ( γ 10 = −0.24, P = .003), and a marginal but not significant reduction in autonomy ( γ 10 = −0.13, P = .067). Additionally, more severe headaches were associated with decreased needs satisfaction in autonomy ( γ 10 = −0.08, P = .009), competence ( γ 10 = −0.08, P = .011), and relatedness ( γ 10 = −0.09, P = .005). Presence of a headache diagnosis did not moderate the relationship between headache occurrence and basic needs satisfaction (all P s ≥ .24). Conclusions This preliminary study is the first to show that headache is related to reduced basic psychological needs satisfaction, providing a potential account for one mechanism by which headache may negatively affect quality of life. Further research is needed to extend these findings to larger samples of migraine sufferers to enable more thorough between‐group comparisons of headache‐related burden on basic needs satisfaction. These findings may be informative for treatment approaches that focus on outcomes beyond mere symptom reduction.