SEXUAL FUNCTION, ATTACHMENT STYLE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN OUTPATIENTS WITH HEADACHE

Headache is associated with worse quality of life and reduced social activities. Chronic pain has also been noted to have an effect on sexual function, including adverse effects on sexual desire, stimulation and activity. Objectives: To investigate the association between health-related quality of life, attachment style, sexual dysfunction and headache. 162 adult outpatients with headache (47m;115f) from 23 years to 78 years (M 39.54; SD 13.407) referred to Headache Center, were recruited and submitted to 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ), International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) for male patients and The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) for female patients. 56% of the female sample and 21.3 % of the male sample had sexual dysfunction. Sexual dysfunction was not correlated with age, marital status, duration of relationship and job. Significant correlations were found between FSFI- IIEF and SF-36 total scores (p<0.01) and between FSFI- IIEF and the following dimensions of ASQ: Confidence (p < 0.05), Need for approval (p< 0.01), and Preoccupation with Relationships (p < 0.01). Patients with sexual dysfunction showed higher scores in the ASQ subscale: Need for approval (p<0.01), Preoccupation with relationships (p<0.01) and lower scores in Confidence (p<0.05). MCS (Mental Component Summary) showed a positive correlation with Confidence (r=0.32; p<0.01) and a negative correlation with Discomfort with Closeness (r=-0.288; p<0.01) and Need for approval (r=-0.225; p<0.01). This research highlights the strong correlation between sexual dysfunction, attachment style, health-related quality of life and headache.