Impact of functional somatic symptoms on 5–7-year-olds' healthcare use and costs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Knowledge about childhood functional somatic symptoms (FSS) and healthcare costs is scarce. This study aims to assess whether FSS in children aged 5-7 years are associated with increased future primary healthcare. DESIGN: At baseline of the observational cohort study, between years 2005 and 2007, 1327 children from the Copenhagen Child Cohort were assessed at ages 5-7 years for FSS and chronic physical diseases using the Soma Assessment Interview. Information on primary healthcare use was obtained from the National Health Insurance Service Register, and measured as the price of all medical services outside the hospital during a 4.5-year follow-up period from the day of assessment. Regression with bootstrap bias-corrected and accelerated CIs were performed. RESULTS: 1018 (76.8%) children had no FSS with primary healthcare use adjusted for other child health problems, maternal education and family changes of €448.2, 388.2-523.8 and number of face-to-face contacts: 11.90, 10.71-13.25; 250 (18.9%) had FSS with healthcare use €441.0, 355.0-550.3 and face-to-face contacts: 11.22, 9.60-12.91, and 58 (4.4%) had impairing FSS with healthcare use: €625.9, 447.9-867.8 and face-to-face contacts: 14.65, 11.20-19.00. In unadjusted regression analysis, impairing FSS were associated with increased healthcare use (increased costs: €246.0, 67.6-494.3). The adjusted association was slightly attenuated (increased costs: €177.8, 1.3-417.0). CONCLUSIONS: Impairing FSS in children aged 5-7 years is a predictor for the child's future primary healthcare use. More research on complex predictive models is needed to further explore the clinical significance of these results, and to contribute to the underpinning of early interventions towards impairing FSS in children.
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FSS in children and adolescents are associated with increased societal costs including extensive health care visits, school absence and parental absence from work.
“FSS in children and adolescents are associated with increased societal costs including extensive health care visits [98, 99], school absence and parental absence from work [100].”
From Feasibility of group-based acceptance and commitment therapy for adolescents (AHEAD) with multiple functional somatic syndromes: A pilot study (2020) · cites this paper as [98]
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Kallesøe, K. H., Schröder, A., Wicksell, R. K., Preuss, T., Jensen, J. S., & Rask, C. U. (2020) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02862-z · Cited by 24 · see citing works
“FSS in children and adolescents are associated with increased societal costs including extensive health care visits [98, 99], school absence and parental absence from work [100].”
BackgroundSelf-citation
- Authors
- Græsholt-Knudsen, T., Skovgaard, A. M., Jensen, J. S., & Rask, C. U.
- Affiliations
- University of Copenhagen (DK)
- Aarhus University Hospital (DK)
- Venue
- Archives of Disease in Childhood
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2017-01-30
- Volume
- 102
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 617-623
- ISSN
- 0003-9888 (ISSN-L)
- 1468-2044
- OpenAlex
- W2580520854
- Cited by
- 27
- References
- 63
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 4
- FWCI
- 4.04
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Archives of Disease in Childhood (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Southern Denmark Research Portal (University of Southern Denmark) (publishedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (submittedVersion)
- University of Southern Denmark Research Portal (University of Southern Denmark) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Lundbeckfonden
- National Health Insurance Service
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Pediatric Pain Management Techniques
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life
- Keywords
- functional somatic symptoms, childhood, health care costs, pediatric primary care, face-to-face contact, chronic physical illness, early intervention
- MeSH terms
- Child, Child Health Services, Child, Preschool, Chronic Disease, Costs and Cost Analysis, Denmark, Female, Humans, Male, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Primary Health Care, Prospective Studies, Socioeconomic Factors, Somatoform Disorders, Neurodevelopmental Disorders
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