Psycho-emotional state during pregnancy and one year after childbirth in mothers of children with functional gastrointestinal disorders

Aim. To determine the relationship between the incidence of functional gastrointestinal disorders in children up to 1 year of age and the psycho-emotional state of their mothers during pregnancy and after childbirth.

Materials and methods. A survey of 1203 mothers of children under 4 years of age was conducted using a questionnaire of functional gastrointestinal disorders according to the Rome IV criteria (2016). The questionnaire contained domains on general issues (the age of the mother at the time of the child's birth, the data of obstetric and gynecological anamnesis, the type of child's nutrition at the time of the survey), psycho-emotional state (retrospectively, the psychological component of the gestational dominant – PСGD – during pregnancy, Beck's anxiety and Beck's depression questionnaires) and questions on functional disorders in infants and young children.

Results. Questionnaires of 487 mothers of children of the 1st year of life were analyzed. Only in 34.4% of cases, mothers' responses lacked anxious and depressive PCGD. In mothers with anxious PСGD, the risk of regurgitation in their children was statistically significantly 2-fold higher compared to mothers with depressive PСGD. In mothers with optimal PСGD, the rate of colic in their children was statistically significantly 2-fold lower compared to mothers with anxious and depressive PСGD. After childbirth, anxiety was noted in 17% mothers and signs of depression in 59% mothers. Significant and severe depression was diagnosed in 10% mothers; the children of these mothers had persistent regurgitation.. In the absence of depression in mothers, the probability of no regurgitation and colic in their children was statistically significantly 2-fold higher compared to the children of mothers with depression.

Conclusion. The incidence of functional gastrointestinal disorders in a child up to 1 year of age is associated with maternal anxiety during pregnancy and maternal depression after childbirth.