Six-year-old children had greater risks of functional gastrointestinal disorders if their parents had mental health conditions

Abstract

Aim: This study examined any associations between parents' mental health conditions and hospital diagnoses of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) in offspring at the age of six. We also examined any associations between children who met these criteria and attended routine Danish preventive child health appointments.

Methods: Nationwide registers identified all children born in Denmark from 2000 to 2011 and parents' mental health conditions. Negative binomial regression analyses estimated the incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of children receiving their first hospital diagnosis for an FGID at the age of six.

Results: We identified 750,379 children and 38% had at least one parent with a mental health condition: 24% were minor, 12% were moderate, and 2% were severe. These children faced a higher risk of an FGID diagnosis than children whose parents did not have mental health conditions. The IRRs were highest for maternal exposure: minor (1.35, 95% CI 1.29-1.42), moderate (1.58, 95% CI 1.48-1.67) and severe (1.58, 95% CI 1.38-1.81). Attending routine preventive child health examinations was associated with a higher risk of FGIDs associated with parents' mental health conditions.

Conclusion: Paediatric FGIDs were associated with parents' mental health conditions, especially mothers, and attending routine preventive child health examinations.

Keywords: gastrointestinal diseases; mental health; parents; preventive health services.