[Familial body concepts and illness attributions in primary headache in childhood and adolescence].

Empirical evidence of the important role of the family in primary pediatric headache has grown significantly in the last few years. The connections between the process of dysfunction and family interaction are, however, still partly unclear. From a constructivistic point of view, a suitable approach is to focus on social-cognitive factors. In this study, we tested on the basis of exploratory results gained from family questionnaires (n = 39 families with a child or an adolescent suffering from tension-type headache and/or migraine) whether family body concepts and family headache attributions are relevant in this connection. In relation to a comparison sample, index patients and their mothers and fathers evaluated their own body less positively and displayed a lower level of inner body consciousness. In addition, index patients and their fathers and mothers tend to have similar attribution preferences with regard to headache. These results are illustrated with the aid of case reports and are discussed as an indication that the exploration of family body concepts and attribution preferences may be clinically useful in the treatment of pediatric headache.