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Journal of Pediatric Psychology 9(1) pp. 77-86, 1984
© 1984 Society of Pediatric Psychology

research-article

Abdominal Pain in Children and Symptoms of Somatization Disorder1

Ann R. Ernst, Donald K. Routh2 and Dennis C. Harper

University of Iowa

2All correspondence should be sent to Donald K. Routh, Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242.

Children seen in a multispecialty medical clinic for abdominal pain were divided into three groups: 21 with confirmed organic findings related to the abdominal pain, 14 with confirmed organic findings unrelated to the pain, and 108 whose physical examinations were negative (the functional pain group). For children with functional abdominal pain (but not for the others) the number of symptoms of somatization disorder (Briquet's syndrome) was significantly related to the chronicity of the child's condition. Children with functional pain and no prior complaint had a mean of 1.95 symptoms; those with complaints of less than 1 year's duration, 2.21 symptoms; those with complaints of more than a year since age 6, 4.04 symptoms; and those with complaints for more than a year with onset prior to age 6 years, 4.55 symptoms from the Somatization Disorder list. Findings were interpreted as preliminary evidence for a distinct, chronic, polysymptomatic hysterical disorder beginning in childhood.

Key words: abdominal pain; somatization disorder; Briquet's syndrome; hysteria.


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P. Burke, M. Elliott, and R. Fleissner
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