Self-compassion in migraine: associations with depression, anxiety, and clinical characteristics.

BACKGROUND

Self-compassion (SC), defined as a positive and accepting attitude towards oneself during times of suffering or failure, is receiving more attention in the context of chronic pain disorders. However, very little is known regarding the link between SC, psychological symptoms, and migraine features.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the SC levels of migraine patients to those of healthy controls and investigate the relationships among SC, anxiety, depression, and migraine features.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study comprised 90 healthy controls (age: 35 ± 9.8 years, 75 female patients) and 98 migraine sufferers (age: 36.7 ± 11.3 years, 84 female patients). The Beck depression inventory, Beck anxiety inventory, and self-compassion scale were completed by the participants.

RESULTS

The SC levels were considerably lower in migraine patients. Patients with chronic migraine performed worse than those with episodic migraines on the self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness subscales. Patients with medication overuse also had reduced SC. Higher isolation scores were linked to aura presence.

CONCLUSION

We found impaired SC in individuals with migraine, and a connection with greater emotional distress and migraine characteristics. These results demonstrate the possible value of emphasizing SC in migraine therapies, especially for those who suffer from chronic migraine, aura, or medication overuse.