Assessment of anger, depression symptoms, offence-related shame and guilt levels in women patients with migraine

Abstract

Objective: Many psychological factors have an effect on the formation and course of migraine disease. The aim of this study is to assess the levels of anger, offence-related guilt and shame, and depression of female migraine patients and the correlation of these feelings with each other. Method: Our study included 50 patients attending the headache clinic with migraine diagnosis according to the diagnostic criteria of the International Classification of Headache Disorder 2004 and 40 control subjects. Participants completed a sociodemographic form, Offence‐Related Shame and Guilt Scale (ORSGS), State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAEI), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results: Members of the migraine patient group were found to have significantly higher scores for the guilt and shame dimensions of the ORSGS, the BDI, and the trait anger and anger-out subdimensions of the STAEI compared to the control group. The scores for the shame dimension showed strong positive correlation with the anger-in subdimension. Conclusion: Migraine patients experience anger more intensely than healthy individuals. Emotions of offence-related guilt and shame may be associated with migraine headaches. Assessing guilt and especially feelings of shame in the psychological treatment of migraine is considered important.