"“Stop my pain, but don’t send me to school!” A pediatric case of irritable bowel syndrome and school absenteeism": Commentary on Psihogios and Baber (2017)

Comments on the original article by Psihogios and Baber (see record 2017-18109-001) in which the authors present the case of Leo, an 11-year-old boy with irritable bowel syndrome. To pediatric psychologists working with chronic pain and somatization patients and their families, the case of Leo is all too familiar. The current authors suggest that in order to better motivate parents to adhere to a behavioral intervention for disabling somatic symptoms, such as seen in the case of Leo, it can be helpful to provide psychoeducation regarding the importance of mastery of critical developmental tasks associated with their child’s life stage. Negotiating healthy family role relationships is instrumental to accomplishing this task. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)