No child reacts perfectly when their wellness is affected by stomach pain, but if your child dwells on or ‘catastrophises’ this health concern, they may have a lower quality of life than kids with a more positive attitude. This is according to German researchers, who add that, as parents, you can help your child learn to cope more effectively, and improve their outlook.
The surprising outcome of the study is that young patients with chronic stomach pain reported lower quality of life than kids who deal with chronic asthma, skin rashes and even obesity. Study co-author Claudia Calvano of the University of Potsdam in Germany explained, ‘If the children think, “My pain will not stop,” then this can lead to further impairment and increase psychological strain.’ Between 8% and 25% of all youth deal with chronic stomach pain, which can affect their wellbeing as they progress into adulthood.
Stomach pain is a complicated issue. There is organic pain, or the type in which the doctors can identify a medical cause, and then you have another type with no clear source, known as functional pain. This may occur due to stress, diet, exercise or psychological challenges, or a mixture of these factors, and so pinning down the root of the problem becomes more difficult. For the study, the researchers looked at both types of pain, examining data on 170 young people aged eight to 18. Instead of finding gender, economic status, or type of abdominal pain to be the cause of lower quality of life scores, poor coping skills was deemed the culprit.
According to Calvano, ‘The way parents react is very important.’ As parents, you need to acknowledge your child’s pain and not fob it off, but then introduce your child to healthy coping strategies. Frequently staying home from school, for example, may not help your child in the long run. Calvano notes, ‘Stress can increase the pain,’ especially in the case of stomach pain, as the connection between the mind’s stress and the abdomen is very sensitive in children. A better way to help your child handle the pain is through cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Calvano says, ‘Parents should be involved in the therapy and know which strategies the children learn so they can help them.’
Dr. Joel Rosh, a paediatric gastroenterologist at Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, New Jersey, who was not involved in the new study, comments, ‘Recognizing that fear and anxiety can be major causes of pain is very important.’ It’s a good idea to pay close attention to your child’s different descriptions of the pain. If your child complains of a one-day stomach-ache, he or she faces a very different problem than a child who has dealt with pain for three months. Ask your child questions, such as what does the pain feel like? Does it interfere with activities in the day? Is something new going on? What did you eat today?
Still, while Rosh supports the study results, paediatric gastroenterologist Dr. Ritu Verma of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was less impressed. ‘I was a little disappointed because [the study] only confirmed things that researchers have talked about before,’ says Verma, albeit adding that affirming previous research still has value. ‘From a gastroenterologist perspective, we may not read a lot of literature that deals with the psychology of abdominal pain, and that’s important. ‘There is a misperception that girls or women tend to have more issues with pain and quality of life. But here it confirmed that the gender of the patient did not make a difference.’
