[Achievement motivation in children with migraine and their healthy siblings].
OBJECTIVE
Psychosocial variables like stress or a high achievement motivation are discussed as a possible contributory factor to an attack in migraine. The aim of our study was to examine, whether children with migraine may be at risk for impaired achievement motivation.


METHODS
37 children with migraine and their 17 non-affected siblings, were examined by means of an especially developed test for achievement motivation and by the Kaufman-Assessment-Battery for Children (K-ABC).


RESULTS
There were no significant differences in achievement motivation and cognition between both groups. Children with migraine and their siblings demonstrated a neurocognitive performance within the average normal test range. There was a slight positive correlation between an atypical achievement motivation and the duration of migraine attacks.


CONCLUSIONS
In general there are no signs of a pathologically elevated achievement motivation in children with migraine, but we found evidence that there might be a subgroup of patients, within whom an atypical achievement motivation might serve as a trigger variable, and who might profit from relaxation techniques and psychological-educational counselling.
Haverkamp
F
F
Zentrum für Kinderheilkunde der Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn. f.haverkamp@uni-bonn.de
Hönscheid
A
A
Rünger
M
M
Krois
A
A
Harbauer
A
A
D002648:Child; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D009042:Motivation; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D035781:Siblings / Q000523:psychology*