Title: Clinical and Psychosocial profile of chronic abdominal pain in children aged 5 to 12 years in a tertiary centre
Authors: Dr V. Sureshkumar MD, Dr D. Nirmala MD, DM, Dr B. Sumathi MD, DM
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v6i9.41
Abstract
Background: Chronic or recurrent abdominal pain is a primarily functional disorder that affects 10-15% of the school age children.
Objective: This study was undertaken to looking to the psycho social factors associated with chronic abdominal pain and to study the prevalence of anxiety and depression in children with chronic abdominal pain.
Subjects and Methodology: Children with chronic abdominal pain according to Rome III criteria were subjected to detailed clinical examination and investigations. Children in the case group were divided into organic and non organic. Controls were selected from pain free children. All three groups were subjected to structured psychosocial assessment.
Results: Marital disharmony was noted in 26% of children with non organic chronic abdominal pain-non organic. Corporal punishment was reported in 70% of chronic abdominal pain-non organic. History of psychiatric treatment in family, high scores in Spence children anxiety scale total score and child depression rating scale score were significantly associated with non organic pain. Anxiety was reported in 33% of children with chronic abdominal pain and depression was noted in 22% of children with chronic abdominal pain.
Conclusion: Chronic abdominal pain is significantly associated with adverse psychosocial factors in relation with family and child. There is an association between anxiety and depressive disorders and chronic abdominal pain in these children. Structured psychosocial assessment would be helpful in these patients.
Keywords: Chronic abdominal pain, Psychosocial factors, Anxiety and depression.
References
- Apley J, Nash N. Recurrent abdominal pains, A field survey of 1000 school children. Arch Dis Child. 1958; 33: 165-170.
- Boey CC,Yap S,Goh KL.The Prevalence of recurrent abdominal pain in 11-16 year old Malaysian school children. J Pediatr Child Health 2000;36:114-116.
- Dutta, M. Mehta and I.C. Verma. Recurrent Abdominal Pain in Indian Children and its Relation with Social and Family Environment. Indian Pediatrics 1999;36: 917-920.
- Croffie JM, Fitzerald JF, Chong SK. Recurrent Abdominal Pain in children-a retrospective study of outcome in a group. Clinical pediatrics Child Health 2000;39:267-274.
- John V. Campo, Jeff Bridge, Mary Ehmann, Sarah Altman, Amanda Lucas, Boris Birmaher, Carlo Di Lorenzo, Satish Iyengar and David A. Brent Recurrent Abdominal Pain,Anxiety, and Depression in Primary Care Pediatrics 2004;113:817.
- Jacob oster MD Recurrent Abdominal Pain, Headache and limb pains in children and adolescents. Pediatrics; vol 50; no 3: 429.
- Niyaz, A.Buch et.al. Recurrent Abdominal Pain in children. Indian pediatrics; 39; Sep 2002; 17: 832-842.
- Judy Garber Ph.D., Janice Zeman M.S., Lynn S. Walker Ph.D. Psychopathology of Recurrent Abdominal Pain. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 1990; 29:648–656.
- Bharat Balani, Recurrent Abdominal Pain Indian Pediatrics 2000 vol 137; 17: 876.
- Robert T. Stone and Barbero. G Recurrent abdominal pain in Childhood. Pediatrics 1970;45:732.
- Deepak Bansal, V.K. Anand. H.pylori infection in Recurrent abdominal pain Indian pediatric 1998; 35:329-324.
- Devanarayana NM, De sliva GDH, De sliva HJ. Aetiology of Recurrent Abdominal Pain in a cohort of Sri Lankan children. J Pediatr Gastroenterol 2011; 54:154-161.
- Karen M Shanahan, Joanna zolkowski et.al reliability and validity of child depression rating scale. Clinical paediatrics may 1987; Vol26(5):245-247.
- J.S, and Dadd MR reliability and validity of parent and child version of multi dimensional anxiety scale for children in community survey. Journal of American Academy of child and adolescent psychiatry 2007; 46(2):252-260.