Childhood predictors of recurrent abdominal pain in adolescence: A 13-year population-based prospective study

Objective estigate maternal and child emotional symptoms, physical health problems, and negative life events measured at childrenʹs age 18 months and 12 years as potential predictors for self-reported recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) in adolescents (14 years). s lation-based prospective study conducted at child health clinics (preventive health care) in Norway followed a cohort of 916 mothers with children from childrenʹs age 18 months until adolescence. Child self-report was obtained from 12 years of age. Outcome measure was adolescent self-reported RAP. s 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 childrenʹs age 18 months (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.3–4.8) and a maternal history of psychological distress at childrenʹs 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. sions s 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 childrenʹs depressive and somatic symptoms may play a role in the development of RAP.