Headache and anxiety association among medicine students in an university in South Brazil

Introduction: Headaches are an important public health problem in Brazil and worldwide due to the individual and social impact entailed by this clinical condition. One of the psychological factors that affect the pain process is anxiety, present in many physical ailments and considered as one of the main difficulties faced by humans. The aim of this study was to examine the association between headache and anxiety, as well as their prevalence among students of medicine in the period from February to April 2009. Methods: An observational, epidemiological cross-sectional study using previously set and adapted questionnaires, of a sample of 377 students of both sexes from the 1st to the 12th semesters at the University of Southern Santa Catarina, Campus de Tubarão. Results: There was a higher prevalence of headache among the students rated as anxious than among non-anxious ones. Of the 377 students who participated in the study, 69% reported having headaches and 33% were classified as anxious. In multiple regression analysis, the factors independently associated with headache were moderate anxiety level (ORaj=3,17) and being a female (ORaj = 3.32). Conclusions: This study found a statistically significant relationship between headache and anxiety among medical students of Unisul/SC/Tubarão. Anxious students showed a high prevalence of headache as compared to non-anxious ones