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Psychosocial repercussion of migraine: is it a stigmatized disease?

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Abstract

Introduction

Stigma manifests both in prejudices and rejection from society towards patients who suffer from a specific pathology, and by patient’s internalization of this discrimination, with the consequent repercussions on their state of mind and quality of life. The aim of the study was to quantify the stigma associated with migraine and analyze whether it is related to the clinical-demographic characteristics of the patients, as well as the possible impact on their daily lives.

Materials and methods

The stigma scale for chronic illness (SSCI) and other questionnaires were administered to 56 patients with episodic migraine (EM), 18 with chronic migraine (CM), and 21 with epilepsy, as a control group.

Results

The mean SSCI score was higher (51.6 ± 15.0) in the CM group than in the EM (45.0 ± 13.5) and epilepsy (47.6 ± 15.5) groups, without reaching statistical significance. In addition, the score was higher in patients who were unemployed, divorced, and in those who had migraine with aura. A statistically significant correlation was found between the SSCI score and the impact of migraine on daily life, the presence of stress, anxiety and depression, and low self-esteem.

Conclusions

There is a stigma around migraine in our society, which seems to be more prevalent in patients with certain socio-demographic characteristics, and that is related to stress, mood alterations, and low self-esteem. Trying to reduce stigma could contribute to improve the control of migraine and reduce the impact of the disease at a socio-economic level.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hospital Universitario de La Princesa, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Calle Diego de León 62, 28006, Madrid, Spain

    A. Martínez-Fernández & M. Rueda Vega

  2. Headache Unit, Department of Neurology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, Calle Diego de León 62, 28006, Madrid, Spain

    S. Quintas, J. Vivancos Mora & A. B. Gago-Veiga

  3. Epilepsy Unit, Department of Neurology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, Madrid, Spain

    M. de Toledo Heras & A. B. Gago-Veiga

  4. Headache Unit, Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario de La Paz, Madrid, Spain

    J. Díaz de Terán

  5. Headache Unit, Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario de Fuenlabrada, Fuenlabrada, Spain

    G. Latorre González & O. Trabajos García

Authors
  1. A. Martínez-Fernández
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  2. M. Rueda Vega
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  3. S. Quintas
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  4. M. de Toledo Heras
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  5. J. Díaz de Terán
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  6. G. Latorre González
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  7. O. Trabajos García
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  8. J. Vivancos Mora
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  9. A. B. Gago-Veiga
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. B. Gago-Veiga.

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All participants voluntarily signed the informed consent after the explanation of the study, ensuring the confidentiality of their personal data. This study was approved by the Ethics and Clinical Research Committee of La Princesa University Hospital.

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Martínez-Fernández, A., Rueda Vega, M., Quintas, S. et al. Psychosocial repercussion of migraine: is it a stigmatized disease?. Neurol Sci 41, 2207–2213 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-020-04332-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-020-04332-6

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