Symptoms of irritable bowel in school children: prevalence and psychosocial effects

This study was to ascertain the prevalence of symptoms of irritable bowel in a sample of school children 11 to 17 years of age and to determine whether children with such symptoms differed from children without symptoms on various psychosocial questions.

Eight hundred fifty-one school children completed a 20-item questionnaire consisting of questions related to symptoms of irritable bowel, psychosocial questions, and filler questions. Questions referred to a 1-week time frame to minimize memory distortion.

Of the sample, 133 (16.2%) had one or more symptoms of irritable bowel. A significant association was found between bowel symptoms and other factors. Children with symptoms were more likely to report that they felt different from other children (chi 2 analysis = 10.06, p = 0.002), were embarrassed about their health (chi 2 analysis = 16.14, p = 0.0001), and felt their health prevented them from going out with their friends (chi 2 analysis = 4.69 p = 0.03).

The study suggests that a large number of children have symptoms of irritable bowel and that having such symptoms can have a significant impact on children's lives beyond the immediate physical effects. Because children with symptoms of irritable bowel are likely to come to the attention of health professionals, nurses are in an ideal position to give such children both information and reassurance about their condition.