Prevalence, Disability, and Psychosocial Correlates of Headache Disorders Among Palestinian School-Aged Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study
Abstract
Abstract Background: Headache disorders are common during adolescence and may substantially affect school performance, daily functioning, sleep, and psychological well-being. However, school-based data on headache burden among Palestinian adolescents remain limited. This study aimed to assess the prevalence, clinical patterns, headache-related disability, and associated factors in Palestinian school-aged adolescents. Methods: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted among Palestinian students aged 15–19 years in the West Bank. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire. Headache diagnoses were classified using symptom-based criteria from the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition. Headache-related disability was assessed with the Pediatric Migraine Disability Assessment Scale PedMIDAS. Psychological symptoms, sleep disturbance, and perceived stress were evaluated using standardized screening scales. Descriptive analyses and multivariable regression models were performed. Results: Among 535 students, most students reported non-specific headache 220 (41.2%), followed by tension-type headache TTH 124 (23.2%), migraine without aura 64 (12.0%), migraine with aura 35 (6.5%), and cluster headache 4 (0.7%), only 87 students (16.3%) reported no headache. According to PedMIDAS, 62 (11.6%) had severe disabilities. Severe depression was associated with migraine without aura (OR= 7.9, 95%CI: 1.8 to 35.6, P = 0.007),…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cross-sectional, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause.
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