PO-72 | Stigma in migraine: preliminary results from the “Studio Emicrania Maugeri” Project

Luca Giani, Christian Lunetta | Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Neurological Rehabilitation Unit of Milano Institute, Milan, Italy

Background: We assessed the experience of stigma related to migraine in healthcare workers using the Migraine-related Stigma (MiRS) scale.

Methods: The Studio Emicrania Maugeri (SEM) is an observational study aimed at evaluating the prevalence and characteristics of migraine among healthcare workers. Maugeri is a healthcare organization comprising 25 clinical sites in Italy. All the employees (4050 persons) were invited to fill in an anonymous web questionnaire about headache. Participants who consented and reported experiencing headaches at least once per year completed the Italian Version of the “ID Migraine” for migraine screening, and a literal translation of the MiRS questionnaire to evaluate the frequency of experienced migraine-related stigma.

Results: A total of 783 persons filled in the questionnaire, of which 363 with a positive migraine screening completed the MiRS questionnaire. The majority of respondents (57%) reported experiencing stigma rarely or sometimes, while 33% reported never experiencing stigma. However, a notable proportion (10%) reported experiencing some kind of stigma often or very often.

Conclusion: These preliminary results confirm the importance of addressing stigma in migraine and suggest the need for targeted interventions to reduce its impact in occupational settings even among healthcare workers.