Long-term follow-up of home-based behavioral management training provided by migraine patients. (April 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Voerman, Jessica S; Klerk, Cora de; Mérelle, Saskia YM; Aartsen, Elise; Timman, Reinier; Sorbi, Marjolijn J; Passchier, Jan
• Is Part Of: Cephalalgia. Volume 34:Number 5(2014)
• Page Start: 357
• Page End: 364
• Publication Date: 2014-04
• Subjects: Migraine -- lay trainers -- behavioral management training -- long-term follow-up -- self-management; Headache -- Periodicals; 616.8491
• DOI: 10.1177/0333102413515337
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0333-1024

Abstract

Background: Behavioral migraine approaches are effective in reducing headache attacks. Availability of treatment might be increased by using migraine patients as trainers. Therefore, Mérelle and colleagues developed and evaluated a home-based behavioral management training (BMT) by lay trainers (1 ). The maintenance of effects at long-term follow-up is studied in the present study. Method: Measurements were taken pre-BMT (T0), post-BMT (T1), at six-month follow-up (T2), and at long-term follow-up, i.e. two to four years after BMT (T3). Data of 127 participants were analyzed with longitudinal multi-level analyses. Results: Short-term improvements in attack frequency and self-efficacy post-BMT were maintained at long-term follow-up ( dT0–T3 = −.34 and dT0–T3 = .69, respectively). The level of internal control that increased during BMT decreased from post-BMT to long-term follow-up ( dT0–T3 = .18). Quality of life and migraine-related disability improved gradually over time ( dT0–T3 = .45 and dT0–T3 = −.26, respectively). Conclusions: Although the results should be interpreted with caution because of the lack of a follow-up control group and the inability to gather information about additional treatments patients may have received during the follow-up period, the findings suggest that lay BMT for migraine may be beneficial over the long term. If so, this could make migraine treatments more widely available.