Childhood predictors of recurrent abdominal pain in adolescence: A 13-year population-based prospective study☆☆☆
Received 20 May 2009; received in revised form 13 October 2009; accepted 20 October 2009. published online 17 February 2010.
Abstract
Objective
To investigate maternal and child emotional symptoms, physical health problems, and negative life events measured at children's age 18 months and 12 years as potential predictors for self-reported recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) in adolescents (14 years).
Methods
A population-based prospective study conducted at child health clinics (preventive health care) in Norway followed a cohort of 916 mothers with children from children's age 18 months until adolescence. Child self-report was obtained from 12 years of age. Outcome measure was adolescent self-reported RAP.
Results
Of 456 adolescents, 58 (13%) reported RAP. Of these, 36 (62%) were girls. By multivariate analyses, the following maternal factors predicted RAP in adolescence: psychological distress at children's age 18 months (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.3–4.8) and a maternal history of psychological distress at children's age 12 years (OR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.7–6.2). The following child factors measured at age 12 years predicted RAP in adolescence: abdominal (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.3–4.9) and extraintestinal pain (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.2–4.4) by maternal report, self-reported frequent extraintestinal pain (OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.4–5.9), and self-reported depressive symptoms (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.1–5.1). Negative life events and physical health in mothers and toddlers did not predict RAP.
Conclusions
This is the first cohort study that finds maternal psychological distress in early childhood to predict RAP in their offspring 13 years later. Our results support that maternal psychological distress and preadolescent children's depressive and somatic symptoms may play a role in the development of RAP.
dCentre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Eastern and Southern Norway, Oslo, Norway
Corresponding author. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Innlandet Hospital Trust, 2819 Gjøvik, Norway. Tel.: +47 61 14 51 50; fax: +47 61 17 57 57.
☆ This study is supported by grants from Innlandet Hospital Trust and the Regional Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Eastern and Southern Norway. The authors have no financial relationships or conflicts of interest relevant to this article to disclose.
☆☆ Department where the work has been conducted: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Gjovik, Norway.
ABSTRACT