Stigma can make things worse for workers who experience migraines: study

Minneapolis — Feelings of shame or embarrassment, on top of physical symptoms, can cause migraine-sufferers to miss additional workdays, researchers conclude.

The researchers used data from more than 59,000 people who completed a survey about their migraines. Survey questions included, “How often have you felt that others viewed your migraine …

• As a way to get attention?”
• As something that made things difficult for your co-workers or supervisor?”
• With a lack of understanding of the pain and other symptoms?”

The survey also included questions on how many workdays were missed over the previous three months.

Overall, 41% of the respondents reported experiencing an average of four or more “headache days” a month. Another 32% said they experienced migraine-related stigma “often” or “very often.”

Of the respondents who reported eight to 14 headache days or more than 15 monthly headache days, 42% and 48%, respectively, reported at least one form of stigma, compared with 26% of those who reported less than four monthly headache days.

“Stigma is common where the disease is not readily apparent to others, and there is indication that it could be especially relevant for those living with migraine,” study co-author Robert Evan Shapiro, a physician at the University of Vermont and fellow with the American Academy of Neurology, said in an AAN press release.

Shapiro adds the “social context of migraine may have a greater impact on quality of life than the number of monthly headache days. However, it is possible that connecting with others with migraine may help decrease migraine-related stigma and stereotypes. More studies are needed to explore the mechanisms that link stigma to health outcomes.”

The study was published online in AAN’s journal Neurology.