Relationship of locus of control in women with migraine and healthy volunteers.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate potential differences in various aspects of personality in women with migraine with aura, without aura, and in healthy volunteers.

METHODS

The following instruments were used to evaluate a sample of 35 women with migraine with aura, 35 women with migraine without aura, and 35 healthy women: Locus of Control and Competence Questionnaire, Health Locus of Control Questionnaire, Trait scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the depression scale by von Zerssen.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in generalized locus of control beliefs among the 3 groups. Migraineurs with aura were found to score very low on the social locus of control scale. Statistically significant differences were found regarding anxiety in migraineurs with aura as opposed to migraineurs without aura and healthy control subjects. As for depression, migraineurs with aura were significantly more likely to indicate feelings of worthlessness and lack of self-confidence.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that migraineurs with aura differ from migraineurs without aura and healthy control subjects in terms of anxiety and depression. With regard to health-related locus of control, there was no correlation among mean number of migraine attacks per year, duration of disease, time of last migraine attack, and number of aura symptoms.