A long-term follow-up study (minimum of 10 years) of 16 children admitted for recurrent abdominal pain revealed that in 50% of the sample the disturbance disappeared completely, persisted in 25% and in the remaining 25% other painful symptoms developed. The variables that characterized the poor outcome group were: belonging to a "painful family", many surgical procedures, low educational level and social class and a low score in the Q3 factor of the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (spare capacity to control emotions).