Abstract
Objective
Functional somatic symptoms (FSS) accumulate within families. Exposure to family patterns of high healthcare use may induce maladaptive symptom coping and thereby potentially contribute to the transgenerational transmission of FSS. This study aimed to uncover associations between parental and child healthcare use during the child's first years of life (age 0–4) and childhood FSS at age 5–7.
Methods
We utilized data from the Copenhagen Child Cohort (CCC2000), a population-based birth cohort. Parent-reported FSS of their 5–7-year-old children were linked to Danish national registry data on parental and child healthcare use (including general practitioner [GP] consultations and hospital contacts) during child age 0–4 years. Logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate longitudinal associations between family healthcare use and child FSS.
Results
We found an association between prior parental healthcare use and child FSS at age 5–7 (OR = 1.02, 95% CI [1.01–1.04]). Key sensitivity analyses specifically focusing on GP consultations, revealed modest but statistically significant associations between parental (OR = 1.03, 95% CI [1.02–1.05]) and child (OR = 1.18, 95% CI [1.04–1.34]) GP consultations and impairing FSS at age 5–7.
Conclusion
Family healthcare use, especially within the general practice, may play a role in the transgenerational transmission of FSS. Early-stage FSS identification and care might be improved through training aimed at GPs. Future research may identify vulnerable families at whom parent-focused interventions for symptom-coping could be targeted. This could potentially contribute to the prevention of transgenerational transmission of FSS.
Functional somatic symptoms (FSS) accumulate within families. Exposure to family patterns of high healthcare use may induce maladaptive symptom coping and thereby potentially contribute to the transgenerational transmission of FSS. This study aimed to uncover associations between parental and child healthcare use during the child's first years of life (age 0–4) and childhood FSS at age 5–7.
Methods
We utilized data from the Copenhagen Child Cohort (CCC2000), a population-based birth cohort. Parent-reported FSS of their 5–7-year-old children were linked to Danish national registry data on parental and child healthcare use (including general practitioner [GP] consultations and hospital contacts) during child age 0–4 years. Logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate longitudinal associations between family healthcare use and child FSS.
Results
We found an association between prior parental healthcare use and child FSS at age 5–7 (OR = 1.02, 95% CI [1.01–1.04]). Key sensitivity analyses specifically focusing on GP consultations, revealed modest but statistically significant associations between parental (OR = 1.03, 95% CI [1.02–1.05]) and child (OR = 1.18, 95% CI [1.04–1.34]) GP consultations and impairing FSS at age 5–7.
Conclusion
Family healthcare use, especially within the general practice, may play a role in the transgenerational transmission of FSS. Early-stage FSS identification and care might be improved through training aimed at GPs. Future research may identify vulnerable families at whom parent-focused interventions for symptom-coping could be targeted. This could potentially contribute to the prevention of transgenerational transmission of FSS.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 111805 |
| Journal | Journal of Psychosomatic Research |
| Volume | 184 |
| ISSN | 0022-3999 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Sept 2024 |
Keywords
- Early childhood
- Functional somatic symptoms
- Healthcare use
- Transgenerational transmission