Functional somatic symptoms and consultation patterns in 5- to 7-year-olds

Charlotte Ulrikka Rask; Eva Ørnbøl; Per Klausen Fink; Anne Mette Skovgaard

doi:10.1542/peds.2013-0159

Functional somatic symptoms and consultation patterns in 5- to 7-year-olds

Charlotte Ulrikka Rask, Eva Ørnbøl, Per Klausen Fink, Anne Mette Skovgaard

Section of Social Medicine

16 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

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.

Original language	English
Journal	Pediatrics
Volume	132
Issue number	2
Pages (from-to)	e459-67
ISSN	0031-4005
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2013-0159
Publication status	Published - Aug 2013

Keywords

Anxiety
Attitude to Health
Child
Child, Preschool
Cohort Studies
Denmark
Female
General Practice
Humans
Male
Parent-Child Relations
Professional-Family Relations
Referral and Consultation
Somatoform Disorders
Utilization Review

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10.1542/peds.2013-0159

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@article{04c39ee7c1bc427a8b85ca16d4405cfb,

title = "Functional somatic symptoms and consultation patterns in 5- to 7-year-olds",

abstract = "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.",

keywords = "Anxiety, Attitude to Health, Child, Child, Preschool, Cohort Studies, Denmark, Female, General Practice, Humans, Male, Parent-Child Relations, Professional-Family Relations, Referral and Consultation, Somatoform Disorders, Utilization Review",

author = "Rask, {Charlotte Ulrikka} and Eva {\O}rnb{\o}l and Fink, {Per Klausen} and Skovgaard, {Anne Mette}",

year = "2013",

month = aug,

doi = "10.1542/peds.2013-0159",

language = "English",

volume = "132",

pages = "e459--67",

journal = "Pediatrics",

issn = "0031-4005",

publisher = "American Academy of Pediatrics",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Functional somatic symptoms and consultation patterns in 5- to 7-year-olds

AU - Rask, Charlotte Ulrikka

AU - Ørnbøl, Eva

AU - Fink, Per Klausen

AU - Skovgaard, Anne Mette

PY - 2013/8

Y1 - 2013/8

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - Anxiety

KW - Attitude to Health

KW - Child

KW - Child, Preschool

KW - Cohort Studies

KW - Denmark

KW - Female

KW - General Practice

KW - Humans

KW - Male

KW - Parent-Child Relations

KW - Professional-Family Relations

KW - Referral and Consultation

KW - Somatoform Disorders

KW - Utilization Review

U2 - 10.1542/peds.2013-0159

DO - 10.1542/peds.2013-0159

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 23837183

SN - 0031-4005

VL - 132

SP - e459-67

JO - Pediatrics

JF - Pediatrics

IS - 2

ER -

Functional somatic symptoms and consultation patterns in 5- to 7-year-olds

Abstract

Keywords

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