The Impact of Migraine on School Attendance and Psychosocial Functioning in Children and Adolescents: A…

Cross-sectionalJournal of child neurology· Aug 2026

The Impact of Migraine on School Attendance and Psychosocial Functioning in Children and Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Study.

Halil Celik, Suleyman Sahin, Mehmet Alci, Ahmet Sami Guven

HeadacheCross-sectionalClinical practiceQ3IF 1.8

Frequent migraine attacks linked to more school absence days in children

The Impact of Migraine on School Attendance and Psychosocial Functioning in Children and Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Study.

Halil Celik … Ahmet Sami Guven

Journal of child neurology · Aug 2026 · Q3 in Neurology

Purpose

This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of school absenteeism and associated clinical, sociodemographic, and psychosocial factors in children, adolescents diagnosed with migraine.

Methods

Were diagnosed according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd Edition (ICHD-3) criteria.

n = 70 pediatric migraine patients

Results

frequent attacks meant more missed school days than infrequent ones

Frequent attacks (>1/m

5.1days

Infrequent attacks

3.3days

More results

The majority of patients were female (62.9%) and in high school (82.9%).

The mean school absenteeism over the preceding year was 4.3 ± 2.4 days.

Academic decline was reported by 11.4% of patients and was associated with significantly higher absenteeism (7.4 vs 3.9 days; P = .001).

Parental work loss was universal (100%; mean 2.5 ± 1.1 days).

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Conclusion · 1 of 3

Migraine imposes a significant multidimensional burden on children's educational life, with attack frequency being the primary driver of absenteeism.

Conclusion · 2 of 3

The complete lack of teacher awareness and high rates of parental work loss underscore critical deficiencies in school-health care collaboration.

Conclusion · 3 of 3

Multidisciplinary strategies integrating optimized prophylaxis, school-based awareness programs, and individualized health plans are urgently needed.

The Impact of Migraine on School Attendance and Psychosocial Functioning in Children and Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Study.

The Impact of Migraine on School Attendance and Psychosocial Functioning in Children and Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Study.

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