Perceived Stress and Impact on Role Functioning in University Students with Migraine-Like Headaches during COVID-19

Nauris Tamulevicius (), Ritika Save, Nishita Gandhi, Sean Lubiak, Siddhi Sharma, Claudia X. Aguado Loi, Khyam Paneru and Mary P. Martinasek
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Nauris Tamulevicius: Department of Health Sciences and Human Performance, The University of Tampa, Tampa, FL 33606, USA
Ritika Save: Department of Health Sciences and Human Performance, The University of Tampa, Tampa, FL 33606, USA
Nishita Gandhi: Department of Health Sciences and Human Performance, The University of Tampa, Tampa, FL 33606, USA
Sean Lubiak: Department of Health Sciences and Human Performance, The University of Tampa, Tampa, FL 33606, USA
Siddhi Sharma: Department of Health Sciences and Human Performance, The University of Tampa, Tampa, FL 33606, USA
Claudia X. Aguado Loi: Department of Health Sciences and Human Performance, The University of Tampa, Tampa, FL 33606, USA
Khyam Paneru: Department of Mathematics, The University of Tampa, Tampa, FL 33606, USA
Mary P. Martinasek: Department of Health Sciences and Human Performance, The University of Tampa, Tampa, FL 33606, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 8, 1-8

Abstract: Migraines, a chronic disease, can be debilitating in university students, affecting their academic performance, attendance, and social interactions. The purpose of this study was to identify the impact of COVID-19 on the role functioning and perceived stress levels of students suffering from migraine-like headaches. Methods: Two identical cross-sectional surveys were sent to students in Fall 2019 and Spring 2021 at a mid-sized university in the U.S. The students were queried on the headache impact scale (HIT-6) and perceived stress scale (PSS-10). Associations between the migraine-like headaches, severity of the headaches, stress levels, and headache impacts on the individuals’ role functioning were analyzed. Results: The average age of the respondents (n = 721) was 20.81 ± 4.32 years in 2019 and (n = 520) 20.95 ± 3.19 years in 2021. A difference ( p = 0.044) was found in the HIT-6 score <49 category. The other categories of the HIT-6 and the PSS-10 were not significant. Conclusions: During COVID-19, more students answered that their migraine-like headaches had lower impacts on their role functioning, thus suggesting that the students were having less severe migraines. A trend was seen for student’s stress levels, indicating a decrease from 2019 to 2021. Furthermore, our results showed that the impact of headaches and stress levels slightly declined throughout the pandemic.

Keywords: migraine-like headaches; migraine; stress; impact on role functioning; COVID-19; university students (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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