AUTHOR=Güler Aksu Gülen , Kayar Ozan , Tufan Ali Evren , Kütük Meryem Özlem , Özdağ Acarli Ayşe Nur , Sucu Damla Hazal , Taşdelen Bahar , Toros Fevziye , Özge Aynur 

TITLE=Early maladaptive schemas in episodic and chronic migraine in adolescents

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1128953

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2023.1128953

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=Psychotherapies such as schema therapy in the management of pediatric headaches are attracting increasing attention. The purpose of this study was to investigate early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) in adolescents with episodic migraine (EM) and chronic migraine (CM). This clinic-based, cross-sectional study consisted of 167 adolescents diagnosed as having EM (n=140) and CM (n=27) aged 12-18 years. The clinical characteristics of migraine, accompanying symptoms, EMSs, the interrelationship of EMSs, depression, and anxiety were evaluated. We analyzed psychopathology and abuse history specifically as covariates in this study. Defectiveness/shame, mistrust/abuse, abandonment/instability, enmeshment/undeveloped self, self-sacrifice, and subjugation schemas were more prevalent in the CM group. As for schema domains, the CM group scored significantly higher in disconnection/rejection and other orientation. Psychopathology did not affect the EMS scores, but a history of sexual abuse did. A relationship among the variables of anxiety, depression, and five of EMSs domains was revealed in patients with EM. On the other hand, the CM group showed a significant relationship with anxiety, hypervigilance/inhibition, disconnection/rejection, and other orientation domains. This study emphasizes the value of EMSs, anxiety, and depression among young people with EM and CM. Schema therapy and schema-based therapeutic interventions should be researched, especially in pediatric migraine, because they may potentially prevent the progression to treatment-resistant migraine.