The psychosocial impact of migraines on women and alternative therapies for migraine management

Ashalya Pirthiraj; Raisuyah Bhagwan

doi:10.4102/hsag.v28i0.2249

The psychosocial impact of migraines on women and alternative therapies for migraine management

Health SA. 2023 Sep 13:28:2249. doi: 10.4102/hsag.v28i0.2249. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Ashalya Pirthiraj¹, Raisuyah Bhagwan²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chiropractic, Faculty of Health Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa.
² Department of Community Health Studies, Faculty of Health Science, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa.

Abstract

Background: Migraines are one of the leading causes of disability globally and in South Africa. There is a paucity of local empirical literature regarding the psychosocial impact of migraines on women. Although there are a variety of treatment approaches, many women prefer alternative and holistic treatment for their migraines.

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the psychosocial impact of migraines on women and their use of complementary and alternative therapies for migraine pain management.

Setting: The study was conducted in the eThekwini region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Methods: The study adopted a qualitative descriptive design. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants for the study. Data were collected through 12 semi-structured interviews and subsequently analysed using thematic analysis.

Results: Theme 1 related to the psychological and cognitive effects experienced by the participants. Theme 2 focused on the effects migraines had on personal, family and social relationships. Theme 3 discussed the self-management of migraines.

Conclusion: The pertinent psychological effects of migraines were depression, anxiety, feelings of hopelessness and withdrawal, fear-avoidance behaviour, lifestyle changes, and acceptance of migraines. The participants experienced a lack of understanding about their migraine severity from co-workers, family and social networks. The alternative therapies that were sought to alleviate migraine symptoms included chiropractic, massage, meditation, reflexology, yoga, cupping and acupuncture.

Contribution: The awareness of the effectiveness of complementary and alternative therapies for women may be beneficial for healthcare providers seeking a multidisciplinary approach to migraine management.

Keywords: alternative therapies; chiropractic; complementary therapies; female migraineurs; migraines; psychological impact; psychosocial factors; social impact.