Objective The current Phase 2b study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for migraine (MBCT‐M) to reduce migraine‐related disability in people with migraine. Background Mindfulness‐based interventions represent a promising avenue to investigate effects in people with migraine. MBCT teaches mindfulness meditation and cognitive‐behavioral skills and directly applies these skills to address disease‐related cognitions. Methods Participants with migraine (6‐30 headache days/month) were recruited from neurology office referrals and local and online advertisements in the broader New York City area. During the 30‐day baseline period, all participants completed a daily headache diary. Participants who met inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomized in a parallel design, stratified by chronic migraine status, to receive either 8 weekly individual MBCT‐M sessions or 8 weeks of waitlist/treatment as usual (WL/TAU). All participants completed surveys including primary outcome evaluations at Months 0, 1, 2, and 4. All participants completed a headache diary during the 30‐day posttreatment evaluation period. Primary outcomes were the change from Month 0 to Month 4 in the headache disability inventory (HDI) and the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) (total score ≥ 21 indicating severe disability); secondary outcomes (headache days/30 days, average headache attack pain intensity, and attack‐level migraine‐related disability [Migraine Disability Index (MIDI)]) were derived from the daily headache diary. Results Sixty participants were randomized to receive MBCT‐M (n = 31) or WL/TAU (n = 29). Participants (M age = 40.1, SD = 11.7) were predominantly White (n = 49/60; 81.7%) and Non‐Hispanic (N = 50/60; 83.3%) women (n = 55/60; 91.7%) with a graduate degree (n = 35/60; 55.0%) who were working full‐time (n = 38/60; 63.3%). At baseline, the average HDI score (51.4, SD = 19.0) indicated a moderate level of disability and the majority of participants (50/60, 83.3%) fell in the “Severe Disability” range in the MIDAS. Participants recorded an average of 16.0 (SD = 5.9) headache days/30 days, with an average headache attack pain intensity of 1.7 on a 4‐point scale (SD = 0.3), indicating moderate intensity. Average levels of daily disability reported on the MIDI were 3.1/10 (SD = 1.8). For the HDI, mean scores decreased more from Month 0 to Month 4 in the MBCT‐M group (−14.3) than the waitlist/treatment as an usual group (−0.2; P < .001). For the MIDAS, the group*month interaction was not significant when accounting for the divided alpha, P = .027; across all participants in both groups, the estimated proportion of participants falling in the “Severe Disability” category fell significantly from 88.3% at Month 0 to 66.7% at Month 4, P < .001. For diary‐reported headache days/30 days an average headache attack pain intensity, neither the group*month interaction (Ps = .773 and .888, respectively) nor the time effect (Ps = .059 and .428, respectively) was significant. Mean MIDI scores decreased in the ...

Early spatial skills predict the development of later spatial and mathematical skills. Yet, it is unclear how comprehension of the words that capture spatial relations, words like behind and under, might be associated with children’s early spatial and mathematics skills. The current study addressed this question by conducting a moderated mediation model to test the potential moderating effects of group factors, such as socioeconomic status (SES) and gender, on the possible mediation of spatial language comprehension on the association between spatial skill and mathematics performance. In total, 192 3-year-olds were tested on a battery of assessments, including a novel Spatial Language Comprehension Task, a test of spatial skills (2- and 3-dimensional trials of the Test of Spatial Assembly [2D and 3D TOSA, respectively]), and a composite of 2 mathematical assessments. The results indicate that this novel Spatial Language Comprehension Task is a reliable measure useful for examining group differences and the early space–math link. Specifically, higher-SES preschoolers and females had higher spatial language comprehension compared with their lower-SES peers and males, respectively. These SES and gender disparities in spatial language comprehension are concerning, given the strong association between spatial language comprehension and mathematics skills. Additionally, spatial language comprehension mediated the association between spatial skill and mathematics performance for females only. Future work should examine the potential causal role that spatial language comprehension may have in concurrent and later spatial and mathematics skills.

Geometric forms have formal definitions. While knowing shape names is considered important for school-readiness, many children do not understand the defining features of shapes until well into elementary school (Satlow & Newcombe, 1998). One reason is likely that they do not encounter enough variety in the shapes they see (citation removed). The present study observed 60 parents and their 3-year-old children during play with geometric toys, exploring how spatial language varied with the nature of the shape-toy set (canonical shapes versus a mix of canonical and unusual or less-canonical variants) and whether geometric shapes were presented as tangible, traditional toys or shown on a touchscreen tablet app. Although children in the app condition heard more shape names than the other conditions due to the language produced by the app itself, children used more overall words and more spatial language with tangible toys that included varied shapes. In addition, parents used more shape names with sons than with daughters and tended to adjust their use of spatial language more in response to varied shape sets with boys, although these findings need replication to evaluate generality. These data suggest that including non-canonical shapes in tangible shape toys may provide a low-cost, high-impact way of refining adult-child interactions that might facilitate children’s early geometric knowledge.

No abstract

Objective.-The current study aimed to describe the impact of parental migraine on adolescent children (aged 11-17) living at home with a parent with migraine.Background.-Emerging evidence suggests that migraine impacts the family members of people with migraine. However, there has been little research to evaluate the perspective of the child of a parent with migraine.Methods.-This cross-sectional observational study included parents who met International Classification of Headache Disorders criteria for migraine and their 11-17-year-old children currently living with the parent with migraine recruited from neurologist offices and online. Parents completed measures of demographics, a diagnostic migraine criteria screener, parental illness impact (Parental Illness Impact Survey -Revised; subscales = Burden of Daily Help, Emotional Impact, Social Impact, Communication and Understanding, Impact on Personal Future, Friends Reactions, Parent/Child Relationship, and Global Well-Being), migraine-related disability (MIDAS), headache attack frequency, and headache attack pain intensity. Children completed measures of demographics, parental illness impact, and a migraine diagnostic screener if applicable. Results.-Children (n = 40) reported the greatest impact of their parent's migraine on the Global Well-Being (M = 3.3, SD = 0.9) and Parent/Child Relationship (M = 3.5, SD = 0.6) subscales. There were no significant differences between the average child and parent rating of parental migraine impact on children. Correlations between parent and child ratings of parental migraine impact were strongest for the Social Impact subscale (ρ = 0.55, P < .001), and non-significant for the Parent/Child Relationship (ρ = 0.13, P = .416) and Friends Reactions (ρ = 0.18, P = .257) subscales. Higher attack frequency and endorsing severe disability on the MIDAS were associated with higher child-rated impact (eg, lower scores) on Global Well-Being (frequency ρ = −0.35, P = .028; MIDAS t(38) = 2.74, P = .009) and Impact on Personal Future (frequency ρ = −0.41, P = .009; MIDAS t(35.7) = 2.49, P = .017) subscales. Higher attack pain intensity was associated with higher child-rated impact (eg, lower scores) on Burden of Daily Help (r = −0.34, P = .031) and Emotional Impact (r = −0.40, P = .010). Over half of children (23/40, 57.5%) reported some kind of service or intervention to help them manage the impact of their parent's migraine on their lives would be helpful. Conclusions.-Parental migraine impacts children aged 11-17 living in the home, particularly in the domains of global well-being and the parent/child relationship. Parent and child reports are not strongly correlated across all domains of parental impact.