Travel nursing professionals: learn what childhood abdominal pain can mean for adulthood

If you are working with children on travel nursing jobs, you may want to learn more about a new study which found a link between childhood abdominal pain and anxiety.

Breakdown of the research
The information was collected by researchers from Vanderbilt University who were able follow up with young adults who had previously suffered from functional abdominal pain as children. This means that although the discomfort was present, it was not debilitating. There were 332 patients who had exhibited the health concern when they were younger, and 51 percent of them suffered from some sort of anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.

This study was then compared to the control group – 147 individuals who did not experience abdominal pain when they were kids. Of these participants, only 20 percent had ever experienced symptoms of anxiety disorders.

Of those 332 people, another 40 percent suffered from depression at some point, and only 16 percent of the control group did. Although these patients didn't necessarily exhibit signs of abdominal pain in adulthood, there seems to be a clear relationship between this suffering in childhood and risk for developing vulnerability for anxiety disorders. However, researchers were not able to uncover what the cause of this link may be.

Coping with anxiety
Although you may not be able to prevent anxiety disorders in children who have functional abdominal pain as a travel nurse, it is great knowledge to have. You may even come into contact with young adults who are currently dealing with these anxiety disorders while on assignment. Stay persistent in helping him or her overcome the stress with some of these approaches:

  • If a patient is able to recognize that they are suffering from anxiety, it may make it easier to get a hold of things. Trying to control the overwhelming emotions can often make things worse, so instead she or he should attempt to understand what has caused the problem.
  • It's also important to talk to your patients about things they should try not to become panicked over. For instance, it's natural for a runner's heart rate to increase during an exercise routine – this is a normal reaction when working out and not the sign of a health concern.
  • Sometimes – but not always – taking control of anxieties can be achieved by focusing on calming practices such as slowly taking deep breaths to calm the mind and body. Patients may have the tendency to hold their breath when stress builds and this only worsens their condition.