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Personality Factors in Classical Migraine and Tension Headache
Author(s) -
Blaszczynski A.P.
Publication year - 1984
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/j.1526-4610.1984.hed2405238.x
Subject(s) - migraine , tension headache , neuroticism , hostility , personality , psychology , headaches , big five personality traits , clinical psychology , anxiety , psychiatry , social psychology
SYNOPSIS The hypothesis that classical migraine and tension headache sufferers show a "specific headache personality" characterized by traits of obsessionality, neuroticism and repressed hostility was tested. A sample of fifteen classical migraine and fifteen tension headache sufferers selected without reference to treatment, was compared with fifteen non‐headache normal subjects and fifteen subjects suffering physical pain but of a non‐headache nature. Personality tests of obsessionality, neuroticism, anxiety and hostility were administered. Analyses of variance revealed that sufferers from headache and non‐headache physical pain had higher levels of neuroticism and repressed hostility than the non‐headache controls. No evidence for increased incidence of obsessionality was found in any group. It was concluded that the similarities between headache and non‐headache physical pain sufferers found on several of the personality indices suggested that traits frequently reported as characteristic of headache sufferers may be the result of a coping strategy for recurrent pain and not specific to headaches.