Doctors' perception of the relationship between stress and psychosomatic illnesses in pediatric and adult patients

Abstract

Introduction: Stress comprises a set of reactions and stimuli that cause disturbances in the body's balance, often with harmful effects and can cause various psychosomatic illnesses that arise as consequences of the individual's psychological and mental processes that are out of adjustment with somatic and visceral functions and vice-versa. Objective: The objective of this work was to identify the relationship between stress and psychosomatic illnesses as perceived by doctors and to understand how signs and symptoms manifest themselves in pediatric and adult patients. Materials and methods: This is a descriptive study, with a cross-sectional, quantitative and qualitative design. A “Sociodemographic and professional questionnaire” was used, followed by a semi-structured interview, to collect data in order to generate qualitative and quantitative analyses. Results and discussion: The research included the participation of two specialist doctors from each area: Geriatrics, Pediatrics, Dermatology, Rheumatology, Gastroenterology and Coloproctology. The majority were male (58%) and between 36 and 46 years of age (58%). In relation to the time since graduation, 42% were between 21 and 30 years old and 58% had attended postgraduate studies in the specialization modality. The interviews gave rise to seven thematic categories: “Stress and psychosomatic illnesses”, “Diagnosis process”, “Physiological characteristics”, “Psychological aspects related to stress”, “Impacts of the Covid 19 pandemic”, “Treatment possibilities” and “Treatment support networks”. Conclusion: The results showed that most interviewees refer patients with psychosomatic illnesses for follow-up with mental health professionals, such as psychiatrists and psychologists, and indicate the use of alternative therapies, practice of physical activities and the importance of supporting family members in treatment.