Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Services

Advisor

Gudeta Fufaa

Abstract

Chronic migraine (CM) is a growing phenomenon in the United States and has been recognized as a disabling headache disorder. CM negatively affects the quality of life not only of CM sufferers but also their family members. The lived experiences of the family member of CM sufferers has not been sufficiently investigated. The purpose of this study was to gain in-depth insight into the lived experiences of family members who lived with CM sufferers. The phenomenological approach, guided by the social support theory, was used to investigate the lived experiences of family members who live with CM sufferers through open-ended semi structured interviewing. The research participants were asked about their experiences of living with a family member who suffers with CM and their perspectives of the chronic migraine sufferers’ social and professional functioning. The data gathered from the interviews was analyzed with NVivo 12 using the Colaizzi Method. The themes created from the data analyses were feelings and moods, disability and activities, functionality, and support. These themes showed that family members are burdened with the health consequences of CM associated with mood swings and functional impairment. The emotional impact of CM on the family members can also be viewed in terms of empathy and feelings of helplessness. The positive social change implications of the findings of this study are that they may help with the design and implementation of interventions that can improve the quality of life for family members and help them provide effective support to the chronic migraine sufferer, which would promote the wellness and health of the whole family.

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