Psychosomatic complaints in schoolchildren: a Nordic comparison

Berntsson, Leeni; Köhler, Lennart; Gustafsson, J-E

doi:10.1177/14034948010290011001

Cited by 75 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Nevertheless, the present results are in accordance with the results from two recent studies of young children. In Spanish preschoolers aged 3-5 years [22], frequent somatic complaints, most likely medically unexplained, were found in 20%, and in 7-12-year-old Nordic schoolchildren, 25% were reported to present psychosomatic symptoms [12]. The findings in the present study that limb pain, abdominal pain and headache were the most prevalent and prominent FSS and the substantial co-occurrence of these functional pain symptoms in this age group are also in line with the results from other studies [22][23][24][25][26][27][28].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Functional somatic symptoms and associated impairment in 5–7-year-old children: the Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000

et al. 2009

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Research on somatisation or functional disorders, characterised by the subjective report of physical symptoms in the absence of clear physical pathology, in young children is limited. This study investigates the distribution, types and co-occurrence of parent-reported functional somatic symptoms (FSS) and their impairment in a population-based sample of Danish 5-7-year-old children. Data were obtained from a 5-7-year follow-up of the Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000. The entire study population included 3,000 randomly sampled children from the cohort. Among these FSS measures were obtained for 1,327 children. The newly introduced parent interview, the soma assessment interview, was used to assess the child's FSS. Impairing symptoms were defined as FSS that caused substantial discomfort, impairment of everyday life, absence from day-care or school and/or help-seeking in the health care system. The 1-year prevalence of any FSS was 23.2% (N = 308) and higher in girls than boys (27.6 vs. 18.8%, P < 0.0001). Impairing FSS were found in 4.4% (N = 58). Pain complaints, i.e. limb pain, headache and abdominal pain, were the most frequently reported FSS. Among the 308 children with FSS, 66 (21.4%) presented with two or more of these functional pain complaints, while 15 (4.9%) had all three types. The findings indicate that FSS are common health complaints in 5-7-year-old children. A subgroup with impairing FSS with a likely need of clinical intervention was identified. This suggests that a somatisation pattern may start early in life and call for future studies to include associated impairment in the investigation of childhood FSS.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The majority of epidemiological studies have used symptom checklists which primarily provide figures on symptom presence rather than qualitative aspects such as impairment and wellbeing [11,12]. Furthermore, many studies have focused on particular symptoms (e.g.…”

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confidence: 99%

Functional somatic symptoms and associated impairment in 5–7-year-old children: the Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000

et al. 2009

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“…Medically unexplained or functional somatic symptoms (FSS) are common among young people [1][2][3][4][5] and account for ∼10% to 15% of visits in medical services. [6][7][8][9] According to their symptoms, these children may undergo many investigations and treatment approaches, which can influence their well-being and constitute a large cost burden on society.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional Somatic Symptoms and Consultation Patterns in 5- to 7-Year-Olds

et al. 2013

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OBJECTIVE: To investigate the frequency of and factors linked to medical consultation for functional somatic symptoms (FSS) among 5- to 7-year-old children. METHODS: We assessed 1327 children from the Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000 for FSS at ages 5 to 7 years. Register data on past health care use in general practice were compared between children with and those without parent-reported medical consultation for FSS at the age of 5 to 7 years: respective consulters (n = 96) and nonconsulters (n = 211) and children without FSS (n = 1019). Degree of parental worries about the child’s symptoms and parent-reported symptom characteristics and associated impacts were compared between consulters and nonconsulters. RESULTS: Among 308 children with FSS, 31.1% were consulters. Being a consulter was significantly associated with multisymptomatic presentation, parental worries about the symptoms, symptom impact, and a higher past health care use in general practice. Multiple logistic regression analysis controlled for gender, comorbid physical disease, and symptom severity revealed that the number of face-to-face contacts in general practice during the child’s first 4 years of life predicted being an consulter for FSS at 5 to 7 years (odds ratio 1.03, 95% confidence interval 1.00–1.06; odds ratio interpreted per unit change in number of contacts). CONCLUSIONS: This study adds to our understanding of health care use for FSS in childhood by highlighting the influence of parents’ early consultation patterns with their child and the influence of parental perceptions of their child’s health and FSS-related impact on pediatric health care use for FSS. Management of health care use in children with FSS should address these aspects.

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“…5,6 Moreover, it is increasingly recognized that bullied students can also be affected by poor physical health and show a variety of symptoms, such as headache, backache, abdominal pain, skin problems, sleeping problems, bedwetting, or dizziness. [7][8][9][10][11] Given that in such circumstances psychosocial processes seem to act as a key factor negatively affecting children' s health, these symptoms are often called psychosomatic problems. [7][8][9][10] To date, the only meta-analysis 12 specifically conducted on this issue was published in 2009.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…[7][8][9][10][11] Given that in such circumstances psychosocial processes seem to act as a key factor negatively affecting children' s health, these symptoms are often called psychosomatic problems. [7][8][9][10] To date, the only meta-analysis 12 specifically conducted on this issue was published in 2009. That meta-analysis synthesized the results of 11 studies that have analyzed the association between being victimized by peers at school and the prevalence of symptoms among children and adolescents between 7 years and 16 years of age.…”

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confidence: 99%

Bullied Children and Psychosomatic Problems: A Meta-analysis

2013

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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: A previous meta-analysis showed that being bullied during childhood is related to psychosomatic problems, but many other studies have been published since then, including some longitudinal studies. We performed a new meta-analysis to quantify the association between peer victimization and psychosomatic complaints in the school-aged population. METHODS:We searched online databases up to April 2012, and bibliographies of retrieved studies and of narrative reviews, for studies that examined the association between being bullied and psychosomatic complaints in children and adolescents. The original search identified 119 nonduplicated studies, of which 30 satisfied the prestated inclusion criteria. RESULTS:Two separate random effects meta-analyses were performed on 6 longitudinal studies (odds ratio = 2.39, 95% confidence interval, 1.76 to 3.24) and 24 cross-sectional studies (odds ratio = 2.17, 95% confidence interval, 1.91 to 2.46), respectively. Results showed that bullied children and adolescents have a significantly higher risk for psychosomatic problems than non-bullied agemates. In the crosssectional studies, the magnitude of effect size significantly decreased with the increase of the proportion of female participants in the study sample. No other moderators were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS:The association between being bullied and psychosomatic problems was confirmed. Given that school bullying is a widespread phenomenon in many countries around the world, the present results indicate that bullying should be considered a significant international public health problem. Pediatrics 2013;132:720-729

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Psychosomatic complaints in schoolchildren: a Nordic comparison

Abstract: The pattern of PSC was quite similar between the Nordic countries, although there were some small differences. The results also confirm that the determinants of PSC are multidimensional. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the complex reality.

Cited by 75 publications

References 18 publications

Functional somatic symptoms and associated impairment in 5–7-year-old children: the Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000

Functional somatic symptoms and associated impairment in 5–7-year-old children: the Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000

Functional Somatic Symptoms and Consultation Patterns in 5- to 7-Year-Olds

Bullied Children and Psychosomatic Problems: A Meta-analysis

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