Maternal Psychological Factors and Onset of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders in Offspring: A Prospective Study

Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are a heterogeneous group of conditions of unclear etiology. The biopsychosocial model approach to FGIDs posits that early-life stressors may trigger a cascade of complex interactions between genetic predisposition and risk factors eventually leading to the occurrence of FGIDs. The relationship between psychological disposition of the mother and FGIDs occurrence is poorly understood. We conducted a study to investigate if parental psychological factors may contribute to the onset of FGIDs in offspring.