Somatic symptom and related disorders in pediatric patients: Associations with parent psychiatric and substance use histories

Parental response to pediatric patients with somatic symptom and related disorders (SSRDs) can impact symptom presentation. However, little is known about the impact of parent psychiatric and substance use disorder (SUD) history on the functional status and medical healthcare utilization of patients with SSRDs. The current study explored the associations between parent psychiatric & SUD history and patient somatic symptoms, functional disability, and hospital course in a medically hospitalized sample of pediatric patients with SSRDs. The electronic medical records of 375 pediatric patients with SSRDs, ages 5 to 18, admitted at a tertiary pediatric hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Parent psychiatric histories were identified in 45.1% of the sample. Parent SUD history and maternal psychiatric history were associated with more patient reported somatization. Parent psychiatric and SUD history were not associated with pediatric patients' level of functional disability or healthcare utilization during admission, including admission length, number of tests, and number of consultations obtained. This study has implications regarding reduction of potential stigma towards parents with psychiatric or SUD histories whose children are hospitalized with SSRDs. While such histories may provide insights regarding somatization presentation of pediatric patients with these disorders, it may not necessarily impact level of functional disability or hospital course.