Background and aims The causes of psychosomatic disorders in children are in a family attitude towards a child and the relationship between parents. The understanding of ‘family psychological health’ will allow creating strategies to prevent and treat psychosomatic disorders in children.

Aims To define the types of family disorganisation and psychological adaptation features of preschoolers living in families.

Methods The questioning on the test ‘ABC for parents and children aged 3–10 years’ the parents of 36 preschoolers with psychosomatic symptoms was held. We studied the level of parental protection in upbringing, the degree of the child’s needs satisfaction, the number and quality requirements to the child in a family, instability of parenting style. The daily urine free cortisone concentrations were investigated.

Results The upbringing peculiarities which promote to deviation’s development in behaviour and psychosomatic diseases development were found in 91,6% of children: due to hyperprotection (in 52,8%) and hypoprotection (in 38,8%). The hyperprotection of children is related to the expansion of parental feelings (56%), upbringing insecurities of parents (61%). In half of the families there is a projection of undesirable qualities of the parents to the child. The elevation of daily urine free cortisone excretion in children with hypoprotection compared with hyperprotection were determined ((18.2 (16.0;18.6) and 16.7(15.5;17.7) nmol/nmol in creatinine, respectively (p < 0.05)).

Conclusions These data suggest that the paediatrician should pay attention not only to physical health of the child, but also the psychological. The timely correction of upbringing will reduce the frequency of psychosomatic illnesses.