Going to the doctors: the views of mothers of children with recurrent abdominal pain.
OBJECTIVE
to explore how mothers of children with recurrent abdominal pain view seeking medical help on behalf of their children.


METHODS
qualitative interview study.


METHODS
paediatric clinics and schools.


METHODS
purposive sample of 28 mothers of children with recurrent abdominal pain.


METHODS
Beliefs concerning recurrent abdominal pain, the respective roles of doctors and mothers and the nature and quality of interactions with doctors.


RESULTS
Mothers of children with recurrent abdominal pain reported shaping the way they discussed the child's problem with doctors according to their beliefs about their own roles and the beliefs they perceived doctors to hold about recurrent abdominal pain. Where they were seeking help in managing the pain, they often felt undermined and threatened and responded to this by stressing the physical aspects of the child's presentation.


CONCLUSIONS
Doctors may need to acknowledge actively mothers' competence in order to establish a therapeutic alliance.
Smart
S
S
Academic Unit of Child Mental Health, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK.
Cottrell
D
D
D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D000293:Adolescent; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002654:Child Care / Q000523:psychology; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012008:Recurrence; D012380:Role