Are child anxiety and somatization associated with pain in pain-related functional gastrointestinal disorders?

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Psychology
• Gastroenterology
• Clinical Child Psychology

Background:

• Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are common in children.
• Pain is a primary symptom of pediatric FGIDs.
• Understanding psychological contributors to pain is crucial for effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the unique and combined effects of somatization and trait anxiety on pain in children with FGIDs.
• To determine which psychological factor, somatization or trait anxiety, better predicts pain severity and frequency.

Main Methods:

• Eighty children (7-10 years) with FGIDs completed validated questionnaires for somatization and trait anxiety.
• Participants maintained 2-week pain diaries to record pain frequency and maximum pain intensity.
• Hierarchical regression analyses were used to assess the predictive power of somatization and trait anxiety.

Main Results:

• Both somatization and trait anxiety were significantly associated with increased pain frequency and maximum pain.
• Somatization explained a greater proportion of the variance in pain reports compared to trait anxiety.
• Trait anxiety did not significantly improve pain prediction when somatization was already accounted for.

Conclusions:

• Somatization is a significant predictor of pain in children with functional gastrointestinal disorders.
• Assessing somatization may be a valuable component of treatment planning for pediatric functional abdominal pain.
• Further research could explore the interplay between somatization, anxiety, and FGID symptomology in children.