Pediatric Headache: Associated Psychosocial Factors and Psychological Treatment

All relevant databases (i.e., Pubmed, PsycINFO) were searched for studies published in 2011-2013 focusing on the association of behavioral, cognitive-emotional, and psychosocial factors with recurrent headache in children and adolescents. Only 3 studies were found dealing with psychological intervention for headache; only 2 of them presented empirical data but were not conducted as a RCT. Eleven studies (clinical and population) were concerned with the association of psychosocial factors, dysfunctional psychological traits, and symptoms and headache or examined certain pain features (triggers, course over time, disability). Most studies were interested in the association of cognitive-emotional symptoms (e. g., internalizing symptoms, anxiety) and their relation to headache, including a meta-analysis. In nearly all studies, a close bond between negative affectivity and headache, especially migraine, was revealed.