Microsocial risk and protective factors for development of irritable bowel syndrome in children

Abstract

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a stress-sensitive gastrointestinal disorder, which occurs as a result of the complex interaction of individual physiological, psychological and psychosocial factors. A tendency of IBS to cluster in families is caused not only by genetic predisposition but also by epigenetic mechanisms of psychosocial transmission of somatic symptoms from parents to children. Purpose - to determine the role of certain microsocial risk factors in the development of IBS in children. Materials and methods. The study involved 54 patients aged 6 to 12 years old with a diagnosis of IBS established in accordance with the Rome IV criteria, as well as 50 practically healthy children from the control group. For a detailed study of perinatal and microsocial risk factors and prevention of IBS, the developmental histories of children were analyzed and the «family history» method was used (descriptive and phenomenological collection of life history from the patient’s parents). Data were processed using Microsoft Excel 2016 and analyzed with GraphPad (Prism 5.0). Results. Perinatal risk factors that can lead to the development of IBS in children are birth from the first in order of delivery, caesarean section, breastfeeding for less than 3 months. There is also a correlation between an increased risk of IBS in children and the presence of psychosomatic disorders in infants and young children, a tendency to somatization in the mother; the frequency of visits to doctors by the child and mother more than 6 times a year; authoritarian parenting style by the mother and hyperprotective parenting style by the father; frequent overeating and food intolerances. On the contrary, birth from a multigravid woman, absence of psychosomatic disorders of infants and toddlers, parental emotional warmth and democratic parenting may be protective of the development of IBS in children. Conclusions. A number of microsocial factors have been identified that are associated with an increased risk of IBS. Awareness of those factors and consequently their correction may be important for the prevention of IBS in children. The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The study protocol was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of the participating institution. The informed consent of the patient was obtained for conducting the studies. No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.