Gender-based discrimination and its influence on mental health symptoms among people living with and without migraine: A case-control study

Women are more likely than men to experience migraine and to endorse worse symptoms. Migraine is associated with anxiety, depressive and posttraumatic stress disorders. Women who experience migraine are also more likely to report a history of discriminatory experiences. This study investigated migraine characteristics, mental health outcomes and gender-based discrimination among women using a case-control study with a migraine and non-migraine sample. Two hundred ninety-two women completed an online survey with measures of migraine characteristics (as applicable), mental health symptoms, and gender-based discrimination. Women living with migraine experienced worse mental health symptoms and more gender-based discrimination than the non-migraine group. Migraine frequency and lifetime day-to-day discrimination significantly predicted anxiety, depression, and trauma symptoms, while anticipated discrimination significantly predicted trauma symptoms; lifetime day-to-day discrimination significantly predicted migraine-related reduction in productivity; and gender-based discrimination significantly predicted migraine-related social absences. These findings may be used to improve management of migraine among women.