A recent small study (published online: KL Pollard et al. JPGN  doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000001886) indicates that the well-recognized phenomenon of improvement in functional abdominal pain during the summer months is associated with lower anxiety.  Here is a link to abstract: Seasonal Association of Pediatric Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders and Anxiety

Excerpt:

Results:

In a sample of 34 participants who completed both questionnaires, 22 reported improvements during the summer months. These participants reported a significantly higher seasonal decrease in anxiety than participants whose children’s symptoms did not improve from spring to summer (mean decrease 2.21 vs 0.08, P = 0.017). Both groups reported equal improvements in sleep and decreased stress from spring to summer. Neither group experienced statistically significant seasonal change in physical activity or fruit, vegetables, dairy, or caffeine consumption.

Conclusions:

This study suggests that amelioration of gastrointestinal symptoms in pediatric patients with AP-FGID during summer months is associated with amelioration of anxiety in the same time period. It is not yet clear whether decreased anxiety is the cause or effect of decreased AP-FGID symptom

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