Chronic migraines have been shown to have a significant impact on marriage and parenting, according to a new study.

Researchers involved with the The Family Burden of Chronic Migraines to the Migraineur: Results of the Chronic Migraine Epidemiology & Outcomes Study discovered that men and women who suffer from chronic headaches e a substantial decline in relationships in their lives.

The findings of the study, which were presented at the 56th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Headache Society, were based on an analysis of 994 men and women with chronic migraines, which is defined by Mayo Clinic as a painful headache that lasts for days — particularly more than 15 days per month.

The goal of the study is to identify the extent of these migraines, and the burden they place on family relationships, including with spouses and children. The participants of the study were recruited over the internet, with a number of surveys being conducted for more than a year. The data collected was then used to describe chronic migraines.

Lead author of the study, Dawn C. Buse, Ph.D., director, Behavioral Medicine, Montefiore Headache Center and associate professor, Clinical Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, was interested in identifying not only the effect that chronic migraines have on the person afflicted, but also on their family relations.

“Clearly, the effects of chronic migraine can be devastating and far reaching. Chronic migraine can be a great burden, not only from the direct effects of the condition on the person with chronic migraine, but also the effects that it has on family members. The effect of chronic migraine on the family is not commonly discussed; however, people who live with chronic migraine may experience substantial emotional distress caused by feeling worried, guilty and sad about how their condition affects the people they love, adding to the total burden,” said Dr. Buse in a statement.