Functional abdominal pain symptom severity: Associations between cognition and emotion in a pediatric sample

Abstract

Functional abdominal pain (FAP) is a common physical complaint in children and adolescents. Prior research has documented associations between FAP symptoms and mood, especially internalizing behaviors. Limited research is available examining the association between symptom burden and cognitive function in this pediatric population. This study explored associations between FAP symptoms, internalizing behaviors, and cognitive and school function in children and adolescents. Twenty-seven participants (mean age = 12.6 years, range 8.8–16.5; 33% male) diagnosed with FAP completed assessments of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral function, as well as FAP symptom severity. Mean performances on cognitive tests were within age-expected ranges. Within this context, however, higher overall burden of FAP symptoms was associated with slower processing speed, more self-reported metacognitive problems and internalizing behaviors, and more school absences. Cognitive function was systematically associated with internalizing behaviors but not physical symptoms. Overall, findings revealed that FAP may be associated with cognitive inefficiencies in addition to internalizing problems. Cognitive symptoms may be linked to internalizing behaviors associated with FAP.