Summary
Family doctors identified psychological factors associated with the presenting complaint in 17% of children aged 7 to 12 years attending their care. When compared with other children attending within the same age group, children said by their doctors to show associated psychological factors tended to present with psychosomatic-type symptoms (bed-wetting, asthma, skin rashes, abdominal pains, blackouts and headaches) and to make more use of medical services (both hospital and primary care). Our findings suggest that the families from which these children came had relatively high surgery attendance rates and more mothers with health problems. More of these families were regarded by the doctors as being under stress, and there were indications that concern about the children and their schooling was particularly common amongst the parents. Exploration of parental concerns about their children's health and about educational expectations would appear specially indicated in these cases.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bailey D, Garralda ME (1987) The use of the social stress and support interview in families with deviant children: methodological issues. Soc Psychiatry (in press)
Bailey V, Graham P, Boniface D (1978) How much child psychiatry does a general practitioner do? J R Coll Gen Pract 28:261–262
Coddington RD (1972) The significance of life events as etiological factors in the diseases of children. 11. A study of a normal population. J Psychom Res 16:205–213
Court SDM (1976) Fit for the future. Report of the Committee on Child Health Services, vol 1. HMSO, London
Garralda ME, Bailey D (1986a) Psychological deviance in children attending general practice. Psychol Med 16:423–429
Garralda ME, Bailey D (1986b) Children with psychiatric disorders in primary care. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 27:611–624
Goldberg DP (1978) Manual of the general health questionnaire. NFER Publishing Group, Windsor
Hart CR (1982) The quality of child care. In: Hart CR (ed) Child care in general practice, 2nd edn. Churchill Livingstone, London, pp 3–22
Hinde RA (1980) Family influences. In: Rutter M (ed) Scientific foundations of developmental psychiatry. Heinemann, London
Jackson J (1980) Paediatric primary care in inner London. J R Coll Gen Pract 30:520–528
Jenkins R, Mann HA, Belsey E (1981) The background, design and use of a short interview to assess social stress and support in research and clinical settings. Soc Sci Med 15:195–203
Joint Working Party of the British Paediatric Association and the Royal College of General Practitioneers (1976) The paediatric training required by the general practitioner. J R Coll Gen Pract 25:128–136
Mechanic D (1979) Development of psychological distress among young adults. Arch Gen Psychiatry 36:1223–1239
Monaghan JH, Robinson JD, Dodge JA (1979) The children's life events inventory. J Psychom Res 23:63–68
Royal College of General Practitioners' Working Party on Preventation (1981) Prevention of psychiatric disorders in general practice. The Royal College of General Practitioners, London
Rutter M, Tizard J, Whitmore K (eds) (1970) Education, health and behaviour. Longman, London
Ryle A (1967) Neurosis in the ordinary family. Tavistock Publications, London
Starfield B, Gross E, Wood M, Pantell R, Allen C, Gordon B, Moffatt P, Drachman R, Katz H (1980) Psychosocial and psychosomatic diagnoses in primary care of children. Pediatrics 66:159–167
WONCA (1983) ICHPPC-2-Defined (International classification of health problems in primary care) 3rd edn. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Garralda, M.E., Bailey, D. Psychosomatic aspects of children's consultations in primary care. Eur Arch Psychiatr Neurol Sci 236, 319–322 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00380960
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00380960