Could emotional awareness explain unexplained pain in kids?
NCT ID NCT05666921
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looks at how emotional awareness, attachment style, and thinking skills relate to physical symptoms like stomach pain or headaches in children. Researchers will assess 300 children with somatic symptom disorder using questionnaires and tests. The goal is to understand why some children develop these symptoms, which could guide future support strategies.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help doctors better understand why some children develop physical symptoms without a clear medical cause, potentially improving future care.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study, not a treatment trial. It will not directly change how children are treated, and results may not apply to all children with similar symptoms.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 300 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2021
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
The population under study is made up of pediatric patients (aged from 11 to 17), and an accompanying caregiver, belonging to the functional chronic pain clinic of Pain Therapy and Palliative Care, to the SOC of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, to the SOSA of Bronchopneumology and to the SOC of Medical Pediatrics as well as to the SOSA of Pediatric Hospital Psychology who present with somatic symptom disorders. All consecutive patients and accompanying caregivers who access the aforementioned services and who meet the expected inclusion criteria will be enrolled.
- Ages
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11 to 17 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Clinical condition characterized by somatic symptoms such as recurrent abdominal pain, recurrent vomiting, dyspepsia, psychogenic cough, and chronic functional pain (headache, migraine, musculoskeletal pain) for which an organic cause has been excluded and whose symptom has had a strong impact on the quality of life (presence of the symptom for six months, school absenteeism, social isolation, immobility, psychological distress, difficulty in participating in sports and extracurricular activities, etc.), as per Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria. * Age between 11 and 17 years * Italian speaking * Patients' and parents' consent Exclusion Criteria: * Cognitive and/or developmental impairment * Difficulty in understanding the Italian language * Presence of organic disease diagnosis * Lack of informed consent * Patient who does not meet DSM-5 criteria for somatic symptom disorder Caregiver exclusion criteria: * Cognitive deficits * Difficulty in understanding the Italian language * Lack of informed consent Control group population inclusion criteria: * Age between 11 and 17 years * Adequate knowledge of the Italian language * Consent to participate
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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IRCCS Gianna Gaslini
RECRUITINGGenova, Italy
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Meyer Children's Hospital
RECRUITINGFlorence, Firenze, 50139, Italy
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