Abstract
Background
Academic work as well as compensated employment has been found adversely associated with frequent headache; headache remains a costly disorder to the person and to society. However, little is known of factors—other than prior headache complaints—that may predict headache frequency over extended periods of time. Based on previous research, effortful task engagement appears to be a contributing factor to headache onset. This suggests that relatively stable attributes that are likely to affect effort expenditure may predict headache frequency over long intervals.
Purpose
The goal of this study was to evaluate the predictability of headache proneness in college-attending students by college aptitude tests administered in high school.
Methods
Five hundred undergraduate students enrolled in a large public, urban university completed a number of questionnaires. Official admissions records of the college aptitude tests ACT (an acronym for the original test name, the American College Testing), SAT (the Scholastic Aptitude Test), and GPA (grade point average) were obtained and compared to the report of headache frequency.
Results
The ACT test mathematics predicted headache proneness in the hypothesized direction, while the ACT English test provided conflicting data; some evidence of gender differences was suggested.
Conclusion
While nearly all research on headache and work effectiveness has considered headache to be a cause of reduced efficiency or productivity, this study suggests that a factor which presumably affects the ease of work completion (e.g., scholastic aptitude) may predict headache, at least in some cases within the “work” environment of academia.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Lofland JH, Frick KD. Workplace absenteeism and aspects of access to health care for individuals with migraine headache. Headache. 2006;46:563–76.
Raak R, Raak A. Work attendance despite headache and its economic impact: a comparison between two workplaces. Headache. 2003;43:1097–101.
Holroyd KA, Stensland M, Lipchik GL, Hill KR, O'Donnell FS, Cordingley G. Psychosocial correlates and impact of chronic tension-type headaches. Headache. 2000;40:3–16.
Radat F, Swendsen J. Psychiatric comorbidity in migraine: a review. Cephalalgia. 2004;25:165–78.
Hamelsky SW, Lipton RB. Psychiatric comorbidity of migraine. Headache. 2006;46:1327–33.
Lake AE, Rains JC, Penzien DB, Lipchik GL. Headache and psychiatric comorbidity: historical context, clinical implications, and research relevance. Headache. 2005;45:493–506.
Powers SW, Gilman DK, Hershey AD. Headache and psychological functioning in children and adolescents. Headache. 2006;46:1404–15.
Holmes WF, MacGregor A, Sawyer JPC, Lipton RB. Information about migraine disability influences physicians' perceptions of illness severity and treatment needs. Headache. 2001;41:343–50.
Linde M, Dahlof C. Attitudes and burden of disease among self-considered migraineurs—a nation-wide population-based survey in Sweden. Cephalalgia. 2004;24:455–65.
Lipton RB, Liberman JN, Kolodner KB, Bigal ME, Dowson A, Stewart WF. Migraine headache disability and health-related quality-of-life: a population-based case-control study from England. Cephalalgia. 2003;23:441–50.
Bigal ME, Bigal JM, Betti M, Bordini CA, Speciali JG. Evaluation of the impact of migraine and episodic tension-type headache on the quality of life and performance of a university student population. Headache. 2001;41:710–9.
Breuner CC, Smith MS, Womack WM. Factors related to school absenteeism in adolescents with recurrent headache. Headache. 2004;44:217–22.
Fuh JL, Wang SJ, Lu SR, Liao YC, Shen SP, Yang CY. Headache disability among adolescents: a student population-based study. Headache. 2010;50:210–8.
Passchier J, Schouten J, van der Donk J, van Romunde LK. The association of frequent headaches with personality and life events. Headache. 1991;31:116–21.
Reynolds DJ, Hovanitz CA. Life event stress and headache frequency revisited. Headache. 2000;40:111–8.
Miller G, Chen E, Cole SW. Health psychology: developing biologically plausible models linking the social world and physical health. Annu Rev Psychol. 2009;60:501–24.
Hicks RA, Campbell J. Type A-B behavior and self-estimates of the frequency of headaches in college students. Psychol Rep. 1983;52:912.
Martin PR, Nathan PR, Milech D. The Type A behavioural pattern and chronic headaches. Behav Change. 1987;4:33–9.
Hovanitz C, Schultz C, Tsiboulski C, Drach R. The role of excessive effort expenditure and Type A behavior in ordinary headache. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. 1999;24:131.
Hovanitz CA, Christianson AL, Stokes-Crowe L, Scheff J. Effects of the headache state on objective and perceived performance. Headache. 2002;42:603–11.
Hovanitz CA, Reynolds DJ, Cote MP, Christianson A, et al. Objective behavior associated with an “ordinary” mild headache: a surprising failure of pain onset to signal self-protective or self-regulatory behavior. Headache. 1999;39:654–61.
Brewer RW. Parental relationships and emotional distress and well-being among college women. Cincinnati: University of Cincinnati; 2006. Dissertation.
Hovanitz CA, Wander MR. Tension headache: disregulation at some levels of stress. J Behav Med. 1990;13:539–60.
Warren CM. The effects of gender and gender role orientation on the accuracy of recalled headache frequency [master's thesis]. Cincinnati: University of Cincinnati; 1996.
Baron DA, Kenny RM. The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1986;51:1173–82.
Dick B, Eccleston C, Crombez G. Attentional functioning in fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and musculoskeletal pain patients. Arthritis Care Res. 2002;47:639–44.
Eccleston D. Chronic pain and distraction: an experimental investigation into the role of sustained and shifting attention in the processing of chronic persistent pain. Behav Res Ther. 1995;33:391–405.
Veldhuijzen DS, Kenemans JL, van Wijck AJM, Olivier B, Kalkman CJ, Volkerts ER. Processing capacity in chronic pain patients: a visual event-related potentials study. Pain. 2006;121:60–8.
Robbins S, Allen J, Casillas A, Peterson CH, Le H. Unraveling the differential effects of motivational and skills, social and self-management measures from traditional predictors of college outcomes. J Educ Psychol. 2006;98:598–616.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hovanitz, C.A., Thatcher, D.L. Academic Aptitude as a Predictor of Headache Proneness During College: Could Headache be an Outcome of Low Test Scores?. Int.J. Behav. Med. 19, 97–103 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-010-9137-2
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-010-9137-2