The Impact of PTSD on Clinical Presentation and Psychosocial Treatment Response in Youth with Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders

by Natoshia Cunningham, PhD The goal of this study was to investigate the rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a sample of youth with functional abdominal pain and to investigate whether presence of PTSD is associated with greater impairment in physical and psychosocial functioning in such youth.  Results revealed anxiety is common in youth with functional abdominal pain, with 12.4% meeting diagnostic criteria for PTSD .  Presence of PTSD was related to higher levels of psychosocial impairment (e.g., increased anxiety, more psychological diagnoses present) and physical impairment (e.g., somatization) in youth with functional abdominal pain.

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