Migraine and Anxiety in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Migraine and anxiety are common health conditions that are highly comorbid. In this study, I examined the relationship between migraine and anxiety in the context of migraine triggers and the COVID-19 pandemic. 188 participants (mean age = 34.18 years; 10.63% male, 85.63% female, 3.72% other) who were recruited online completed two measures of state-level anxiety and two measures of migraine disability. The first two measures prompted participants to report the anxiety and migraine disability they experienced before the COVID-19 pandemic.  The second two measures prompted participants to report anxiety and migraine disability they experienced during what they personally believed to be the worst period of the pandemic. My first hypothesis was supported: Migraineurs reported greater state-level anxiety and greater migraine disability during what they believed to be the worst months of the COVID-19 pandemic in comparison to before the COVID-19 pandemic. My second hypothesis was not supported, as state-level anxiety did not increase more severely for migraineurs who were unaware of or unable to avoid their triggers. Potential limitations include the considerable amount of time elapsed between the beginning of the pandemic and data collection, which may have affected participant’s ability to accurately remember their past state-level anxiety and migraine disability. Future research should continue to examine the relationship between migraine, anxiety, and migraine triggers, particularly in the event of future public health crises. In sum, my results suggest that migraineurs’ state-level anxiety and migraine disability increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, considering the high current and lifetime prevalence of migraine, the results of this study emphasize that it is imperative to research the mental health of this population.