Stress Appraisal and Personality Characteristics of Headache Patients: Comparisons with Tinnitus and Normal Control Groups

This study is concerned with the coping strategies and personality characteristics of headache sufferers. Comparisons were made between headache patients, tinnitus patients and normal controls (N = 105) on the Neuroticism subscale of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (MAS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Unpleasant Events Schedule (UES), a measure of emotional control and a measure of cognitive appraisal of stressors. Statistical analyses revealed that headache sufferers scored in the more pathological direction than the controls on the EPQ, MAS and the measure of cognitive appraisal of stressors. Tinnitus patients did not differ from normal controls on these measures. These results are compared with those of other studies of the personality characteristics and psychological features of headache sufferers. Implications for further research in this area, and for the treatment of headaches, are discussed.