Objective:

1) To understand migraine-related perceptions and lived experiences of those with migraine on college campuses; 2) To generate recommendations for supporting college students with migraine.

Background:

Teenagers have the sharpest growth in migraine prevalence and disability adjusted life years (DALYs). Migraine prevalence is ~16% among university students.

Design/Methods:

An initial 60-minute virtual semi-structured focus group was conducted with an all-women’s college (3 participants) to assess our questions’ relevance and comprehensiveness. We then conducted four national focus groups among college students with and without migraine (47 participants). Focus groups were transcribed and independently coded twice. We developed themes for the five focus groups using content analysis.

Results:

The following themes emerged: 1) Migraine is often misunderstood and not discussed on campus, with misconceptions surrounding severity and its distinction from headache. 2) The impact of migraine on campus is significant, with students reporting various triggering environments, difficulty maintaining focus, attending class, performing academically, preserving social relationships, and participating in extracurricular activities. 3) The most commonly reported accommodations for migraine were academic, specifically exam and attendance-related, though not always honored by professors. 4) Access to migraine care for students is challenging, with reports that student health centers are typically unapproachable, inconvenient, and unhelpful, with students seeking external providers for migraine. Students recommended more awareness/education initiatives for improved understanding of migraine as well as increased access to migraine resources/accommodations.

Conclusions:

Greater awareness of migraine, especially by faculty, disability services, and student health services, is crucial on college campuses.