The Relationship Between Functional Constipation and Emotional, Social, Physical, and Educational Functioning of Children

Functional constipation is common in children and may cause many behavioral and psychological problems that could ultimately affect the quality of life.
The present study aimed at comparing the functional constipation and emotional, social, physical, and educational functioning of children with chronic constipation and healthy individuals, and also distinguishing the level of awareness about quality of life in children and their parents.
This was a case control study. The study population included 208 children (12.4 years) and their parents who visited the children’s gastroenterology clinic of Boo-Ali Sina hospital. Using available sampling, 104 children with chronic functional constipation problems and their parents were selected as the sample and compared with a control group (n = 104) for quality of life satisfaction. Quality of Life Questionnaire was used to collect data. To analyze data, t test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) test were used with SPSS 18.
The results of the data analysis revealed a statistically significant difference (P = 0.000) between the quality of life in patients and the control group. Parents of patients with chronic constipation also reported lower quality of life in their children.
According to the results of the present study, there was a correlation between the quality of life and constipation; and a decrease in quality of life was observed in children with this disorder. Therefore, psychological evaluation and treatment strategies may be effective in improving the functional constipation and quality of life.