A Qualitative Analysis of Adolescent, Caregiver, and Clinician Perceptions of the Impact of Migraines on Adolescents' Social Functioning

Abstract

Migraines dramatically affect adolescents' quality of life. One area of particular importance is the impact of migraines on adolescents' social functioning. Objective To understand the impact of migraines on adolescents' social functioning from multiple informants. Design Semi-structured interviews with adolescents who have migraines, their caregivers, and clinicians who treat adolescents who have migraines. Results Three major themes related to social functioning were identified from the adolescent interviews: The need to be alone; lack of support from siblings, and the feeling of not being understood by others. The caregiver interviews yielded three main themes related to family functioning: plans can change quickly; family life revolves around helping the child with the migraine, and parents' feelings of inadequacy in helping their child. There were two main themes derived from the clinician interviews related to perception of family functioning: importance of parental involvement, and the role of adolescents' school and social lives in migraine prevention. Conclusions There are a number of unmet needs among adolescents with recurrent migraine and their families. Interviews with adolescents, caregivers, and clinicians suggest a number of areas for intervention.

Migraine Burden of Disease: From the Patient's Experience to a Socio‐Economic View

“…Few studies have assessed the impact of migraine on the families of patients, their partners and children, and all report detrimental effects on QoL and social/leisure time . For adolescents, the impact of migraine on social functioning is particularly important in the family and the wider social context . A qualitative interview‐based study of adolescents with migraine, their caregivers, and the treating clinicians showed social functioning impairment of the adolescents because of the recurrent pain, and that this also had a negative impact on the family, parents, and siblings .…”

“…For adolescents, the impact of migraine on social functioning is particularly important in the family and the wider social context . A qualitative interview‐based study of adolescents with migraine, their caregivers, and the treating clinicians showed social functioning impairment of the adolescents because of the recurrent pain, and that this also had a negative impact on the family, parents, and siblings . A longitudinal, U.S. internet‐based study investigated the impact of migraine on the family from the perspective of patients and their spouses .…”

What Mechanisms do Children and Adolescents with Chronic Pain Use to Manage their Friendships? A Review of the Literature

“…Next, we applied the aforementioned criteria (C2-C5). Consequently, 20 studies (Bandell-Hoekstra et al, 2002;Caes, Fisher, Clinch, Tobias, & Eccleston, 2015;Carter et al, 2002;Castarlenas et al, 2015;Donovan et al, 2013;Eccleston, Wastell, Crombez, & Jordan, 2008;Forgeron et al, 2011;Forgeron & McGrath, 2008;Greco et al, 2007;Guite, Logan, Sherry, & Rose, 2007;Karwautz et al, 1999;Kashikar-Zuck et al, 2007;Konijnenberg et al, 2005;Langeveld et al, 1997;Larsson & Sund, 2007;Meldrum et al, 2009;Metsähonkala et al, 1998;Vannatta et al, 2008;van Tilburg et al, 2015) met inclusion criteria and were included in the review (Figure 1). The two articles excluded for not being primary sources (C1) were fully reviewed to scan their reference lists because one of them was an outstanding systematic review, and the other was a commentary related to the aims of our study.…”

“…Participants recruited were from 6 to 18 years old. Participants in 11 of the studies (Caes et al, 2005;Carter et al, 2002;Donovan et al, 2013;Forgeron et al, 2011;Greco et al, 2007;Kashikar-Zuck et al, 2007;Langeveld et al, 1997;Larsson & Sund, 2007) were between 12 and 18 years old. Six other studies included children under 10 years old.…”

“…Involvement in positive peer and friend relationships have been found to be associated with functional ability and might represent a resilience factor system to help them manage pain (Cousins et al, 2015;Fleischman et al, 2011;Sinclair, Meredith, Strong, & Feeney, 2016;Stinson et al, 2014). On the contrary, when adolescents are not involved socially, the lack of this support is a source of stress (Donovan, Mehringer, & Zeltzer, 2013;Fleischman et al, 2011;Kashikar-Zuck et al, 2007).…”