Children who suffer from frequent stomachaches may be more likely to suffer from anxiety when they’re older, even if the stomachaches eventually subside, according to a new study conducted at Tennessee’s Vanderbilt University. About 480 children were included in the study. Roughly 330 of the kids suffered from FAPS, or functional abdominal pain syndrome, a condition in which abdominal pain is experienced despite the absence of an apparent cause.

When the children underwent psychiatric evaluations about nine years later, the subjects who suffered from FAPS were up to five-times more likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Over half of the children who suffered from FAPS were later diagnosed with disorders such as phobias or social anxiety. The same was true of only 20% of the other group.

Is Pain Causing the Anxiety?

According to Lynn Walker, a pediatrics professor and one of the lead researchers behind the study, the anxiety is not coming from the pain itself, because they found that even after the pain had subsided, the anxiety did not. She went on to say that when children are treated for stomachaches, their doctors should also gauge their anxiety and treat it if necessary.

Dr. Walker suggested that one explanation for the anxiety may be how frequent stomachaches can interfere with children’s lives. When a child is frequently experiencing pain without a known (and therefore treatable) source, he or she is more likely to stay at home, suffer setbacks in school and lose touch with friends. All of these can cause long-term stress and have an impact well after the stomachaches themselves go away. Adding to the frustration is the fact that many children with FAPS are otherwise completely healthy, and healthcare providers are by definition unable to find the root cause behind FAPS.

…Or is Anxiety Causing the Pain?

Although scientists aren’t sure what causes FAPS, they theorize that it may stem in part from the central nervous system. According to Walker, the brain may be responding improperly to signals sent from the stomach. While most people are naturally able to eliminate pain once the source of that pain has disappeared, people with FAPS are unable to do the same due to anxiety.

Anxiety is often linked with depression, and the study also found that children who suffer from FAPS are more likely to suffer from clinical depression when they get older. About 40% of those in the study who had FAPS as children experienced depression later on, while the same was true of just 16% of those who didn’t have FAPS.

The researchers also theorized that hypersensitivity to pain may go hand-in-hand with anxiety, since the children with FAPS experienced both anxiety and abdominal pain, and it was unclear in most cases which occurred first.

In general, Walker suggested that doctors should treat not only the physical symptoms of chronic pain and other conditions, but the psychological and emotional effects of them as well.

The Bottom Line

Children who experience frequent stomachaches as youngsters may be significantly more likely to experience anxiety and depression when they get older, long after the frequent stomachaches go away, according to a new study.

The full text of the study can be found online in Pediatrics.