OC-21 | Coping and pain catastrophizing in migraine patients and their mothers: a comparison between mothers with and without migraine

Martina Proietti Checchi,¹ Samuela Tarantino,¹ Fabiana Ursitti,¹ Giorgia Sforza,¹ Gabriele Monte,¹ Alessandro Borrelli,¹ Massimiliano Valeriani,^1,2,3 Laura Papetti¹ | ¹Developmental Neurology, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy; ²Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Italy; ³Translational Pain Neuroscience and Precision Medicine, CNAP, Dept. of Health Science and Technology, School of Medicine, Aalborg University, Denmark

Background: We aimed to:1) explore coping strategies and pain catastrophizing in children and their mothers, and their association with (a) headache frequency and (b) pain intensity; 2) compare coping and catastrophizing between patients and mothers (with and without migraine) and relationships across the different subscales.

Methods: The study included 166 children (m.a 12.2 ± 2.6 years) with migraine, and their mothers. Patients were categorized by: 1) daily-high and low frequency; 2) severe and mild pain intensity; and 3) children of mothers with and without migraine. Pain catastrophizing was assessed using the PCS/PCS-C (Pain Catastrophizing Scale/Child), while coping strategies were evaluated using the PPCI (Children's Coping Strategies to Physical Pain) and the CSQ-R-I (Coping Strategies Questionnaire-Revised, Italian version).

Results: Children with daily headache showed higher scores in "Total PCS-C" (0.038) and "Helplessness" (0.015). Their mothers showed higher scores in "Self-Statement" (0.050). Mothers of children with severe pain had higher scores in "Magnification" (0.011) and lower scores in "Ignoring Pain Sensations" (0.029). Children of migraine mothers had higher "Problem Solving" scores (0.047). Although no significant differences were found between mothers with and without migraine, "Magnification" in non-migraine mothers correlated with "Rumination" (0.049), "Helplessness" (0.028), and "Catastrophizing" (0.009) in their children.

Conclusion: Children with daily headache exhibit greater pain catastrophizing and helplessness. Migraine severity is linked to maladaptive coping strategies in mothers, which, in non-migraine mothers, correlate with similar maladaptive strategies in their children. While no significant differences were found between mothers with and without migraine, children of migraine-affected mothers showed a greater tendency toward problem-solving, suggesting adaptive traits that may be learned or inherited.