Recurrent headache, coping, and quality of life in children: a review.
OBJECTIVE
To clarify the concepts of coping with pain and quality of life (QoL) and to present a literature review of the strategies that children with recurrent headaches use to cope with their pain, the impact of recurrent headaches on children's QoL, and the influence of personal and situational variables on headache, coping, and QoL in children.


METHODS
The literature search encompassed published articles that were found by means of a CD-ROM search of MEDLINE (1966 to December 1998) and PsycLIT (1974 to December 1998) and the snowball method.


RESULTS
In pediatric headache research, only three studies have been found in which children report the use of various coping strategies, and only two studies considered QoL. Demographic factors and psychological variables such as depression, anger, and anxiety influence headache prevalence. The impact of headache-related variables such as headache type, severity, perceived cause, and prior experience on QoL has only been studied in adults.


CONCLUSIONS
More research on coping and QoL is needed in pediatric headache. The conceptual model that is presented in this article may serve as a guide.
Bandell-Hoekstra
I
I
Department of Health Care Studies, Centre for Nursing Research, The Netherlands.; Department of General Practice, The Netherlands.
Abu-Saad
H H
HH
Passchier
J
J
Knipschild
P
P
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002648:Child; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D020773:Headache Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000523:psychology