Department of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Sensory Organs (NESMOS), "Sapienza" University of Rome, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Via di Grottarossa, 1035-1039, 00189,, Rome, Italy.
Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Sabelli 108, 00185 Rome, Italy.
Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2022 Sep;140:104798. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104798. Epub 2022 Jul 27.
Pediatric headaches have been linked to adverse life events or psychological factors in children and their families, with a complex and bidirectional association. Moreover, it is well-known that psychological stress can trigger headaches.
We searched three databases for studies focusing on headaches and adverse events or psychological factors in children up to 12 years old or in their caregivers.
We included 28 studies. Child psychological factors, including internal and external symptoms, were commonly associated with all types of headaches. Sleep disturbances showed a positive association with headaches in 3 out of 5 studies. Family conflict and unhappiness were frequently found in children suffering with headaches, while single-parent families and divorce were not associated. Stressful environments and adverse life events, particularly bullying, were also found to be linked with headaches.
Childhood headaches represent an alarm bell for clinicians to investigate and treat psychological or psychiatric disorders in children and their family. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of early-life adverse events in children and their families.
儿科头痛与儿童及其家庭中的不良生活事件或心理因素有关，两者之间存在复杂的双向关联。此外，众所周知，心理压力会引发头痛。
我们在三个数据库中搜索了专注于儿童头痛以及 12 岁以下儿童或其照顾者的不良事件或心理因素的研究。
我们纳入了 28 项研究。儿童心理因素，包括内在和外在症状，与所有类型的头痛均有关联。5 项研究中有 3 项显示睡眠障碍与头痛呈正相关。患有头痛的儿童通常会经历家庭冲突和不快乐，而单亲家庭和离婚与头痛无关。压力环境和不良生活事件，特别是欺凌，也与头痛有关。
儿童期头痛是临床医生敲响警钟，需要对儿童及其家庭的心理或精神障碍进行调查和治疗。需要进一步研究来阐明儿童及其家庭中早期生活不良事件的作用。
