Parental symptoms and children’s use of medicine for headache: data reported by parents from five Nordic countries

Abstract

To examine the association between parent's headache and symptom load and children's medicine use, and whether these associations are robust across countries and socio-demographic strata. The study population included random samples of children from age 2 to 17 in five Nordic countries (participation rate 67.6%, n = 10,317). Outcome measure was child's medicine use for headache. Determinants were the mother's and father's headache and symptom load. Analyses were stratified by country, age group and socio-economic status. The prevalence of children's medicine use varied across countries between 13.7 and 21.3%. Girls' medicine use for headache was associated with mother's headache (OR = 2.00), father's headache (OR = 1.85), mother's symptom load (OR = 1.84) and father's symptom load (OR = 1.48). Boys' medicine use was only associated with mothers' headache (OR = 1.68) and symptom load (OR = 1.51). Associations remained significant after adjustment for the child's headache and were robust across countries and socio-demographic strata. Parents' symptom experience seems to influence their children's medicine use over and above medicine use indicated by symptoms. Two potential explanations are suggested: a socialization pathway and/or a pathway through adverse living conditions.