According to a new study from the University of Toronto, 63% of Canadians who suffer from migraine headaches are able to flourish, despite the painful condition.
“This research provides a very hopeful message for individuals struggling with migraines, their families and health professionals. The findings of our study have contributed to a major paradigm shift for me. There are important lessons to be learned from those who are flourishing,” said lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson, Professor at both the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and the Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Toronto.
Over the past decade, Prof Fuller-Thomson has published on negative mental health outcomes associated with migraines, including suicide attempts, anxiety disorders and depression.
Migraine is a complex, genetically influenced disorder characterised by episodes of moderate-to-severe headache, usually unilateral and associated with nausea and increased sensitivity to light and sound. A migraine headache is the seventh most disabling disorder in the world. However, there is little research investigating factors associated with mental health and well-being among sufferers.
The University of Toronto study investigated optimal mental health in a nationally representative sample of 2186 Canadian adults diagnosed with migraines. The data were drawn from Statistics Canada’s Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health. To be defined in excellent mental health, respondents had to achieve three things: 1) almost daily happiness or life satisfaction in the past month, 2) high levels of social and psychological well-being in the past month, and 3) freedom from generalised anxiety disorder and depressive disorders, suicidal thoughts and substance dependence for at least the preceding full year.
“We were so encouraged to learn that more than three in every five migraineurs were in excellent mental health and had very high levels of well-being,” said Prof Fuller-Thomson.
Those experiencing migraines who had at least one person they could confide in were four times more likely to be in excellent mental health than those without. Additionally, those using religious or spiritual beliefs to cope with everyday difficulties had 86% higher odds of excellent mental health than those who did not use spiritual coping. Poor physical health, functional limitations, and a history of depression were also found to inhibit excellent mental health among those with migraines.
“Health professionals who are treating individuals with migraines need to consider their patients’ physical health needs and possible social isolation in their treatment plans” said co-author Marta Sadkowski, a recent nursing graduate from the University of Toronto.
Source: EurekaAlert!
Journal reference: Fuller-Thomson, E & Sadkowski, M., (2021) Flourishing Despite Migraines: A Nationally Representative Portrait of Resilience and Mental Health among Canadians. Annals of Headache Medicine. doi.org/10.30756/ahmj.2021.05.02.
