Impact of migraine on quality of life and well-being among King Khalid University students: a cross-sectional study

Migraine significantly impacts social, family, and work activities, affecting quality of life (QoL), productivity, and financial strain. This study aimed to assess the QoL and well-being among King Khalid University (KKU) students who had migraine during the 2023-2024 academic year. Using Propensity score matching, a comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among 600 students (300 with migraine and 300 without). An anonymous self-administered questionnaire, including the World Health Organization (WHO) Quality of Life (WHO QOL)-BREF and WHO-5 Well-Being Index, was collected through face-to-face interviews using convenience and snowball sampling. The majority of participants were single (96.4%), non-smokers (93.8%), urban residents (86.7%), with a mean age of 21.3 years, and 66.0% were females. There was a significant difference between groups in all QoL domains except the psychological domain. Good QoL and well-being were reported by 23.0% and 35.7% among migraine students, respectively, compared to 33.3% and 50.7% among non-migraine students. The domains of QoL correlated positively with well-being. Low family income negatively impacted QoL and well-being, while a history of depression also significantly affected the scores. Marriage positively influenced well-being and QoL. This study emphasizes the significant impact of migraine on students' QoL and well-being, especially for those with low family income and depression. Universities should establish support frameworks to address these challenges.