Academic stress linked to Functional abdominal pain among children

Xiaoshuang Bao and team conducted a cross sectional survey to investigate the prevalence of Functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPDs) in children in southern Anhui Province, China and their association with academic stress.

Functional abdominal pain, also known as intractable abdominal pain, is persistent stomach pain that does not resolve with usual therapeutic treatment. Approximately 10 to 15 percent of school-age children have functional abdominal pain at some point.

Survey reveals a high prevalence of FAPDs among children in southern Anhui Province, China, and Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome (IBS) as the most common subtype of functional abdominal pain. Academic stress, was the major cause rather than academic performance, that was associated with FAPDs in children. The study is published in BMC Pediatrics.

In the cross-sectional survey, researchers randomly selected children aged 6–17 years from 11 public schools in southern Anhui Province. FAPDs were diagnosed according to the Rome IV criteria, and a custom-designed questionnaire was used to investigate the association between academic stress and FAPDs in children.

The key findings of the study are

• A total of 2,344 children aged 6–17 years were enrolled. The mean age was 12.4 ± 3.0 years. Of these children, 335 (14.3%) were diagnosed with FAPDs according to the Rome IV criteria.

• Among the children with FAPDs, 156 (46.6%) were boys, and 179 (53.4%) were girls. The prevalence was higher in girls than in boys.

• The most common disorder was irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) (n = 182 (7.8%)). Other types of FAPDs included functional abdominal pain–not otherwise specified (FAPNOS) (n = 70 (3.0%)), functional dyspepsia (FD) (n = 55 (2.3%)), and abdominal migraine (AM) (n = 28 (1.2%)).

• Academic stress, not meeting parental expectations, poor relationships with parents, and sleep disturbances were independent risk factors for FAPDs in children; academic performance was not associated with the development of FAPDs.

Researchers concluded that “There was a high prevalence of FAPDs among children in southern Anhui Province, China, and IBS was the most common subtype of functional abdominal pain. Academic stress, rather than academic performance, was associated with FAPDs in children.”

Reference: Bao, X., Yu, W., Chu, Z. et al. Functional abdominal pain disorders in children in southern Anhui Province, China are related to academic stress rather than academic performance. BMC Pediatr 23, 333 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-023-04154-3.