Abstract
Parent-child relationship appears to play an important role in psychosomatic diseases in adolescence. In this paper our main discussino was concerned with the development of these diseases from the view-point of parent-child relatinoship.In the last five years, 1970-1975,49 adolescent patients, ages ranging from 15 to 19,visited the Psychosomatic Clinic of Nagoya University Hospital, Which was 8.1% of all the patients. These patients were classified into several disease type. For the present study, 31 patients of reactive type were picked up, among whom 20 cases were able to be re-interviewed.(1) The initial symptoms were likely to appear before school examinations, during the examinatinos, in class, and on their way to school. The most important undelying factor was difficulty in adjusting to school life. Past-history reviewing revealed that most of the patients had experienced many troubles during early childhood.(2) Parent-child relationship of these patients were classified into three types; 1) interdependent, 2) independent, and 3) intermediate. Each type had the following characteristics.Interdependent type : In this type most of the patients were immature in thought and behavior for their age. Troubles with school friends served as a trigger for their school maladjustment. Such a condition subsequently resulted in the diseases. Over-protectino of their parents seemed to facilitate the prolongation of their recovery.Indepedent type : The patients behaved as if they were grown-ups in their relationship to parents and doctors. They usually expected to achieve high records at shool. When they recognized that they were not able to live up to their expectations, the diseases and maladjustment appeared.Intermediate type : The patients belonging to this type had more conflicts with their parents than the interdependent and independent types. The conflict emerged from the factitious demand, on the partof their parents, as to selection of school or occupation for their children. It was these conflicts that made the diseases more complicated and the therapy more difficult.(3) From the viewpoint of parent-child relationship, the interdependent type was closely related to the psychosomatic diseases of children, while the independent type to those of adults, However, the intermediate type showed many problems characteristic of adolescence.
