Experiencing tough times in childhood, like abuse or neglect, may increase the chances of having headaches as adults, suggests a new study.
However, it's essential to know this research doesn't prove that these childhood experiences directly cause headaches; it just shows there's a connection.
Let's find out more about how it works.
According to the experiment, tough childhood is linked to different types of headaches later, including migraines, tension headaches, cluster headaches, and severe headaches.
How It Was Tested
Out of all the people in the study, 31% said they went through tough things in their childhood, and 16% had headaches.
For those who faced tough times when they were young, 26% had a kind of headache, compared to 12% who didn't have tough experiences.
The scientists discovered that folks with challenging childhoods were 48% more likely to get headaches.
The experiment also highlights that when people had more tough events in their childhood, they were more likely to have headaches.
If someone went through four or more types of tough events, they were more than twice as likely to have a headache.
The tough events were divided into two groups: threat traumas, like abuse or violence, and deprivation traumas, like neglect or family problems.
Threat traumas made headaches 46% more likely, and deprivation traumas made headaches 35% more likely.
Why It's Important
Understanding the specific types of childhood adversities may help develop strategies for preventing and treating headaches, a common and disabling condition worldwide.
The study emphasizes the importance of addressing underlying childhood traumas through public health initiatives and clinical interventions.
However, it's noted that the actual association could be higher due to the sensitive nature of reporting childhood traumas.
Previously, we talked about manipulations.
