Feasibility and Acceptability of a Self-Management Education Program for Adolescents with Headaches: A Pilot Study

Headache disorders are one of the most frequent pediatric health complaints and are associated with impairments in daily functioning and increased rates of anxiety and depression. In adults with headache disorders, self-management education has successfully improved headache self-efficacy; however, no studies have evaluated this in a pediatric population. Hence, a pre-post comparison pilot study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a 1-time, 90-minute, in-person, group workshop on headache self-management. Participant-reported headache self-efficacy and chronic illness self-efficacy were assessed before the intervention to evaluate changes in self-efficacy 2 weeks after the intervention. Thirty participants completed the study [mean (SD) = 14.7 (1.5) years; 73% female]. Of those who responded to the acceptability survey (n = 13), all reported being very satisfied. Headache self-efficacy increased ( P = .002), whereas chronic illness self-efficacy was unchanged ( P = .445). The results from this pilot study will inform a larger-scale trial.