The concept of colic and infant crying in pediatrics: An exploratory study

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to analyze the diagnostic criteria and the therapeutic interventions of pediatricians concerning excessive crying and infant colic. For that purpose four teams of two interviewers each visited 22 pediatricians in a northern German city. They conducted semistructured interviews which were analyzed according to content categories. The average definition of infant colic is composed of three behavioral symptoms and two hypotheses concerning the causes. Most of the symptons refer to the gastro-intestinal tract. The average intervention is composed of two prescriptions of drugs, one advice to change the feeding behavior, one advice concerning vestibular stimulation and another one of emotional support. It is interesting to note, that about one third of causes is suspected to orginate in the psycho-social setting, but only about 18% of interventions are directed at parental support. More than half of the therapeutic advice (57%) concerns food intake and digestion, whereas only about 30% of the causes are located in that area. This situation reflects the obscure state of the art. A developmental approach is proposed for future research. © 1990, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.