Overt and relational victimization among children with frequent abdominal pain: links to social skills, academic functioning, and health service use.

Objectives: Chronic abdominal pain is linked with school absenteeism and diminished social competence; yet, little is know about the extent to which negative peer encounters contribute to symptoms and functioning in youth with abdominal pain. This study compared children with frequent abdominal pain with a pain-free control group on measures of overt and relational victimization and examined the link between abdominal pain and school-related functioning.

Methods: Participants were 60 children with frequent abdominal pain and 60 gender- and age-matched peers.