ABSTRACT
Migraines have a deleterious effect on the United States healthcare system, affecting over 38 million people and totaling over $36 billion annually in healthcare costs. The complexity of migraines requires an individually-focused, multifaceted approach. Only 5% of migraine patients report receiving high levels of care, highlighting a need for cost-effective, flexible, and easy-to-implement interventions to improve health outcomes in migraine populations.This study's primary purpose was to determine the effectiveness of two new interventions, one involving relaxation methods and one incorporating cognitive-based skill-building techniques. Critical variables in migraine prevention were assessed, including the number of migraines, quality of life, self-compassion, resilience, and self-efficacy. Participants provided detail on their lived experience with migraines;their perceptions and beliefs about migraines;and the benefits, barriers, and value in the migraine prevention activities. The intervention was provided online and based on an integrated health behavior change model.A mixed-methods analysis incorporating random assignment determined the benefits of these interventions. Quantitative analysis specifically focused on changes to these variables pre- and postintervention and if one intervention provided a more significant improvement to their quality of life, self-compassion, resilience, and self-efficacy than the other. Qualitative analysis elucidated pre- and postintervention changes, significant improvements, and gathered themes about individuals with migraines' lived experiences.Migraine participants completed questionnaires and qualitative data at multiple intervention time points. Twenty-seven participants completed the intervention, with seven participating in follow-up interviews. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 severely reduced participant completion. Results indicated a statistically significant improvement in self-compassion, resilience, self-efficacy, and quality of life in relaxation participants;and self-reported improvements in migraine quantity, severity, and duration. There were no significant improvements in cognitive participants, mainly due to the limited sample size. Confidence intervals showed improvement across all variables in both interventions, even when not statistically significant.Interview transcripts were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis method. Four themes in the relaxation intervention were identified, along with five themes in the cognition intervention. The participants also provided experiences and perceptions of their migraines, barriers and benefits from the intervention activities, and health and skill improvements after the intervention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)