Abstract

Headache is one of the most common complaints among university students due to the lifestyle they lead and the academic and social burdens they have. The present study aims to identify the differences between Tension-Type Headache (TTH) and healthy university students regarding psychological stress, self-compassion, and self-punishment. It covered a sample of tension-type headache and healthy students visiting the medical center and university clinic at Umm Al-Qura University and University of Jeddah numbered (235) and aged (18-40) years. To achieve the study objectives, an analytical descriptive approach was adopted. A TTH scale and a psychological stress scale, prepared by the author, in addition to a self-compassion scale and a self-punishment scale were applied. Results revealed that there were statistically significant differences in the means of TTH and healthy students at the level of (0.01) on the scales of psychological stress, self-compassion, and self-punishment in favor of students with TTH. The study recommends developing consulting programs to reduce psychological stress, self-compassion, self-punishment, and their somatic symptoms among university students.

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