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TUESDAY, Jan. 29 (HealthScoutNews) -- The behavioral patterns of those with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can color their children's experiences of their own illnesses. That's the conclusion of recent research that compared three years of school absences and found the children of IBS parents missed significantly more school days than other children -- 11.2 days per academic year versus 7.6 days. The study is part of a larger body of ongoing research looking at how parents' reactions to IBS influence children's perceptions of sickness. Text Continues Below
"We're looking at how parents teach their children to respond to illness, and whether the children generally are sicker than children of parents without this problem," explains Rona Levy, a professor of social work at the University of Washington and the author of the study, which was presented recently at a meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology. IBS causes chronic gastrointestinal problems ranging from constipation to diarrhea, as well as abdominal pain, gas and bloating. The condition is estimated to affect about 4.7 million people, most of them women. The causes of the condition are not known, but experts believe there is a significant psychological factor at play, with reactions to stress or depression manifesting themselves in the gut more severely than normal. Although Levy thinks there is probably a genetic factor that determines who gets IBS, she says behavioral responses that are "socially learned" may determine who suffers most from the condition. ">"We're building a case where heredity is a component of IBS," she says. "But what children learn from their parents is a much bigger risk factor for the extent people suffer from this disease, and many other chronic diseases." Such "learned" behavior is fostered in children through the reactions - - and actions - - of their parents to various situations, says Levy. Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >>
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