Stigmatizing attitudes toward people with migraine by people without active migraine: results of the OVERCOME (US) study
Abstract Background Migraine is associated with various types of stigma. This study aims to evaluate stigmatizing attitudes towards people with migraine by people without active migraine. Methods OVERCOME (US) was a web survey among adults from a representative US population-based sample that collec...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2025-03-01
|
| Series: | BMC Neurology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-025-04039-1 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850039419889778688 |
|---|---|
| author | Robert E. Shapiro Lars Viktrup Eva Jolanda Muenzel Dawn C. Buse Anthony J. Zagar Sait Ashina Susan Hutchinson Robert A. Nicholson Richard B. Lipton |
| author_facet | Robert E. Shapiro Lars Viktrup Eva Jolanda Muenzel Dawn C. Buse Anthony J. Zagar Sait Ashina Susan Hutchinson Robert A. Nicholson Richard B. Lipton |
| author_sort | Robert E. Shapiro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Migraine is associated with various types of stigma. This study aims to evaluate stigmatizing attitudes towards people with migraine by people without active migraine. Methods OVERCOME (US) was a web survey among adults from a representative US population-based sample that collected information about stigmatizing attitudes of people without active migraine (i.e., no migraine/severe headaches in the previous 12 months) toward people with migraine and related conditions. The following associations were examined in the current analysis: (1) association between stigma toward migraine and relationship to people with migraine, (2) association between stigma toward migraine and sex, and (3) association between stigma toward migraine and historical headache/migraine status. We further compared stigmatizing attitudes toward people with migraine compared to people with chronic low back pain and epilepsy. Results In this observational, population-based study, a total of 11,997 respondents without active migraine were queried about attitudes and beliefs about people with migraine. With a mean age of 47.4 (standard deviation 17.3) years, the majority of the respondents were female (51.1%), White (75.6%), and non-Hispanic (82.3%). Nearly 70% of people queried endorsed ≥ 1 stigmatizing attitude from eleven possibilities. Stigmatizing attitudes and beliefs were more prevalent among those with a closer relationship to someone with migraine (family or friend) or those who knew multiple people with migraine, in particular among those who felt personally impacted by knowing a family member or co-worker/supervisor/employee with migraine or severe headache. Respondents with prior migraine endorsed more stigmatizing attitudes than those without migraine/headache history. Lastly, the analysis showed that stigmatizing attitudes toward people with migraine were much more prevalent than those toward people with epilepsy and similar to those toward people with chronic low back pain. Conclusions Stigma towards people with migraine is widespread but surprisingly more common the closer the relationship(s) to a person/persons with migraine and in those who have experienced migraine themselves. Raising awareness about the stigma towards people with migraine that exists in public may help people with migraine feel more confident to advocate for themselves and seek care, as well as creating more public and social support for accommodations, research funding, and treatment. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c4bf0b2077d54dca9422bbb8560760dd |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1471-2377 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Neurology |
| spelling | doaj-art-c4bf0b2077d54dca9422bbb8560760dd2025-08-20T02:56:21ZengBMCBMC Neurology1471-23772025-03-0125111210.1186/s12883-025-04039-1Stigmatizing attitudes toward people with migraine by people without active migraine: results of the OVERCOME (US) studyRobert E. Shapiro0Lars Viktrup1Eva Jolanda Muenzel2Dawn C. Buse3Anthony J. Zagar4Sait Ashina5Susan Hutchinson6Robert A. Nicholson7Richard B. Lipton8Larner College of Medicine, University of VermontEli Lilly & CompanyEli Lilly & CompanyMontefiore Headache Center, Albert Einstein College of MedicineEli Lilly & CompanyHarvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterHaven Headache & Migraine CenterEli Lilly & CompanyMontefiore Headache Center, Albert Einstein College of MedicineAbstract Background Migraine is associated with various types of stigma. This study aims to evaluate stigmatizing attitudes towards people with migraine by people without active migraine. Methods OVERCOME (US) was a web survey among adults from a representative US population-based sample that collected information about stigmatizing attitudes of people without active migraine (i.e., no migraine/severe headaches in the previous 12 months) toward people with migraine and related conditions. The following associations were examined in the current analysis: (1) association between stigma toward migraine and relationship to people with migraine, (2) association between stigma toward migraine and sex, and (3) association between stigma toward migraine and historical headache/migraine status. We further compared stigmatizing attitudes toward people with migraine compared to people with chronic low back pain and epilepsy. Results In this observational, population-based study, a total of 11,997 respondents without active migraine were queried about attitudes and beliefs about people with migraine. With a mean age of 47.4 (standard deviation 17.3) years, the majority of the respondents were female (51.1%), White (75.6%), and non-Hispanic (82.3%). Nearly 70% of people queried endorsed ≥ 1 stigmatizing attitude from eleven possibilities. Stigmatizing attitudes and beliefs were more prevalent among those with a closer relationship to someone with migraine (family or friend) or those who knew multiple people with migraine, in particular among those who felt personally impacted by knowing a family member or co-worker/supervisor/employee with migraine or severe headache. Respondents with prior migraine endorsed more stigmatizing attitudes than those without migraine/headache history. Lastly, the analysis showed that stigmatizing attitudes toward people with migraine were much more prevalent than those toward people with epilepsy and similar to those toward people with chronic low back pain. Conclusions Stigma towards people with migraine is widespread but surprisingly more common the closer the relationship(s) to a person/persons with migraine and in those who have experienced migraine themselves. Raising awareness about the stigma towards people with migraine that exists in public may help people with migraine feel more confident to advocate for themselves and seek care, as well as creating more public and social support for accommodations, research funding, and treatment.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-025-04039-1MigraineStigmatizing attitudesSurvey |
| spellingShingle | Robert E. Shapiro Lars Viktrup Eva Jolanda Muenzel Dawn C. Buse Anthony J. Zagar Sait Ashina Susan Hutchinson Robert A. Nicholson Richard B. Lipton Stigmatizing attitudes toward people with migraine by people without active migraine: results of the OVERCOME (US) study BMC Neurology Migraine Stigmatizing attitudes Survey |
| title | Stigmatizing attitudes toward people with migraine by people without active migraine: results of the OVERCOME (US) study |
| title_full | Stigmatizing attitudes toward people with migraine by people without active migraine: results of the OVERCOME (US) study |
| title_fullStr | Stigmatizing attitudes toward people with migraine by people without active migraine: results of the OVERCOME (US) study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Stigmatizing attitudes toward people with migraine by people without active migraine: results of the OVERCOME (US) study |
| title_short | Stigmatizing attitudes toward people with migraine by people without active migraine: results of the OVERCOME (US) study |
| title_sort | stigmatizing attitudes toward people with migraine by people without active migraine results of the overcome us study |
| topic | Migraine Stigmatizing attitudes Survey |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-025-04039-1 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT roberteshapiro stigmatizingattitudestowardpeoplewithmigrainebypeoplewithoutactivemigraineresultsoftheovercomeusstudy AT larsviktrup stigmatizingattitudestowardpeoplewithmigrainebypeoplewithoutactivemigraineresultsoftheovercomeusstudy AT evajolandamuenzel stigmatizingattitudestowardpeoplewithmigrainebypeoplewithoutactivemigraineresultsoftheovercomeusstudy AT dawncbuse stigmatizingattitudestowardpeoplewithmigrainebypeoplewithoutactivemigraineresultsoftheovercomeusstudy AT anthonyjzagar stigmatizingattitudestowardpeoplewithmigrainebypeoplewithoutactivemigraineresultsoftheovercomeusstudy AT saitashina stigmatizingattitudestowardpeoplewithmigrainebypeoplewithoutactivemigraineresultsoftheovercomeusstudy AT susanhutchinson stigmatizingattitudestowardpeoplewithmigrainebypeoplewithoutactivemigraineresultsoftheovercomeusstudy AT robertanicholson stigmatizingattitudestowardpeoplewithmigrainebypeoplewithoutactivemigraineresultsoftheovercomeusstudy AT richardblipton stigmatizingattitudestowardpeoplewithmigrainebypeoplewithoutactivemigraineresultsoftheovercomeusstudy |