Therapists On The Common Condition That Can Trigger Tummy Ache In Kids |
Therapists On The Common Condition That Can Trigger Tummy Ache In Kids
If they complain of this a lot, it's time to take a closer look at when they're saying it.
Parents editor at HuffPost UK
What Kids Are Carrying is a HuffPost UK series focusing on how the nation’s youngest generation is *really* feeling right now – and how parents and caregivers can support them.
There can be so many things going on when a child tells you their tummy hurts. They might have a stomach bug, lactose intolerance, trapped wind, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation – the list goes on.
But one thing many parents might not consider is that when a child is anxious, it can also cause them to suffer physically, and stomach pain is a pretty common manifestation of that.
Counselling Directory member Patricia Calabro tells HuffPost UK: “Many of my adult anxiety clients can recall sore tummies, nausea or feeling sick before school, social events or family stress as children, but didn’t know at the time that what they were feeling was pressure, fear or overwhelm.
“Kids don’t have the language, self-understanding or ability to opt out when something feels too big, so the distress lands in the body. The gut is densely connected to the nervous system and reactive to stress hormones – a ‘tummy ache’ is a real physiological event, not an excuse.”
She highlights one particular study which followed children with functional abdominal pain into adulthood – it found 51% had experienced an anxiety disorder in their lives, compared to 20% of children without tummy aches.
“So, taking it seriously early really is a form of prevention,” she adds.
Anxiety is one of........