engleski

Predictors of quality of life in patients with chronic headaches

Pain is considered to have a detrimental impact on all quality of life domains. In patients with non curable chronic conditions, increasing and maintaining quality of life becomes a prime health care goal. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between socio- demographic characteristics, and pain coping mechanisms in relation to the quality of life in patients with chronic headaches and to examine whether socio-demographic characteristics and pain coping predict quality of life and to what extent. The sample consisted of 96 participants, 79 female and 17 male, aged between 18 and 84, patients from the outpatient pain clinic (one in Osijek, one in Zagreb, Croatia). The following instruments were used: General questionnaire on socio- demographic characteristics, WHOQOL-BREF to measure quality of life and Pain Coping And Cognition List (PCCL) as measure of pain coping and cognition. The results indicate that there is a significant correlation between quality of life and some of the socio-demographic characteristics, medical variables related to characteristics of headaches and coping style- catastrophizing. After controlling socio- demographic and headache-related variables, coping style-catastrophizing emerged as the strongest negative predictor of quality of life in all domains, and also as mediator of the association between frequency of headaches and physical health. Internal locus of pain control was significant predictor of psychological health and environmental domain. These results offer practical implications in improving quality of life of patients with chronic headaches by acting on the cognitions and pain coping style.

quality of life, chronic headaches, predictors, pain coping mechanisms

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