Open AccessThe catastrophization of pain is related to the patient and not to the migraine
Author(s) -
Eduardo A. Guimaraes Nogueira,
Flávia Rodrigues de Oliveira,
Vitor Martinez de Carvalho,
Carina Tellaroli,
Yára Dadalti Fragoso
Publication year - 2021
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Conference proceedings
DOI - 10.5327/1516-3180.318
Subject(s) - migraine , anxiety , depression (economics) , observational study , visual analogue scale , medicine , physical therapy , psychiatry , clinical psychology , psychology , economics , macroeconomics
Background: Catastrophization is a psychological aspect of pain that alters its perception and expression. Objective: Assess catastrophization in migraine. Design and setting: Cross-sectional observational study conducted by online survey, 2020. Method: Online survey of individuals suffering from migraine attacks at least twice a month, for at least one year. Confidentiality was assured. The participant gave details of his/her headache (including via a visual analogue pain scale) and answered the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Catastrophization Scale questionnaires. Results: The survey identified 242 individuals with migraine attacks at least twice a month. The median scores observed in this group of individuals were 7 for pain, 11 for anxiety, 7 for depression and 2 for catastrophization. Catastrophization had no correlation with the duration or intensity of migraine pain. There was no correlation between catastrophization and headache frequency or the monthly amount of headache medication taken. High scores for catastrophization were identified in one third of the participants. High scores were not associated with age, headache duration, pain severity, frequency of attacks or traits of depression or anxiety. There was a moderate association between both depression and anxiety traits with catastrophization. Conclusion: Catastrophization seems to be a trait of the individual and appears to be unrelated to the characteristics of the migraine.