Citation

Livingston R. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry 1993; 32(3): 536-544.

Affiliation

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/00004583-199305000-00008

PMID

8496117

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The author investigated psychopathology, suicidal behavior, child abuse, somatization, and health care utilization in 34 children with a parent who has somatization disorder (SD-P) and two comparison groups: 41 children with a somatizing parent (SOM) (fewer symptoms than required for diagnosis of SD-P), and 30 pediatrically ill controls (CON). METHOD: Child and parent versions of the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents were scored for diagnosis and symptom counts in specified categories. Medical records were obtained and abstracted. RESULTS: Children of SD-P had significantly more psychiatric disorders and suicide attempts than did children of SOM or the CON. SD-P and CON had significantly more unexplained physical symptoms than SOM. SD-P showed a trend toward more hospitalizations and experienced significantly more maltreatment. CONCLUSIONS: Children of SD-P are at significant risk in several respects. Clinical implications of these findings include a need for awareness and cooperation among general psychiatrists, primary care physicians, and child and adolescent psychiatrists to facilitate detection and treatment of these children's problems.

Language: en