Recurrent headache in military-dependent children and the impact of parent deployment

Our objective is to determine the prevalence of recurrent headaches in military-dependent children and to study the changes in headache frequency, severity, and duration during a parental deployment. Recurrent headaches are common in children and are often intensified by stressful life events. Military-dependent children are subjected to unique stressors, most significantly parental wartime deployment. No studies have evaluated the effect of deployment on somatic complaints, to include headaches. We conducted a parental, cross-sectional questionnaire-based study in patients aged 5 to 17 years who were seen in the pediatric or adolescent clinics at a regional military medical center. The overall prevalence of recurrent headaches in the preceding 12 months was 30%. Almost half reported headache worsening in frequency, severity, or duration over the previous 12 months, whether a parent was deployed or not. For children who had experienced parental deployment, younger children and females were affected more often. Younger females had the highest rates of headache worsening. This trend may indicate a more detrimental effect of parental deployment on childhood headache in certain populations.