Gender differences in coping with tension-type headaches.
OBJECTIVE
To study gender differences of coping with illness strategies in tension-type headaches.


METHODS
We enrolled 89 subjects (50 women, 39 men) suffering from episodic (n = 37) and chronic (n = 52) tension-type headaches (TTH). Patients were required to answer a Freiburg Questionnaire of Coping with Illness (FQCI), a Von Zerssen Depression Scale (D-S), quality-of-life questionnaires, and a headache home diary (over 4 weeks). In addition, pressure pain thresholds (temporal muscles) and Total Tenderness Scores were obtained.


RESULTS
While pain intensity, frequency and quality-of-life parameters were basically the same for female and male EPISODIC TTH sufferers, women scored significantly higher on the F3 subscale (distracting and encouraging) of the FQCI and tended to score higher on the F1 subscale (depressive). Among CHRONIC TTH patients, women reported the pain to be more intense (VAS), were more depressed (D-S), and scored lower on several quality-of-life scores. Female chronic TTH sufferers scored significantly lower on the F2 subscale (active coping) and tended to score higher on F5 (denying).


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that pessimistic coping with illness strategies are more frequent in female episodic and chronic TTH sufferers. We would like to recommend special psychologic intervention in particular to female chronic TTH sufferers which would offer counseling in developing active coping skills.
Rollnik
Jens D
JD
Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, Medical School of Hannover, Germany. rollnik.jens@mh-hannover.de
Karst
Matthias
M
Piepenbrock
Siegfried
S
Gehrke
A
A
Dengler
Reinhard
R
Fink
Matthias
M
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017288:Pain Threshold; D011788:Quality of Life; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D018781:Tension-Type Headache / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*