The aim of a new study published in BMC Gastroenterology was to investigate the epidemiology and risk factors, including exposure to emotional stress, for constipation in children and adolescents. This cross-sectional survey utilized a validated, self-administered questionnaire on 1,796 randomly selected children and adolescents in the age-group of 10-17 years, from the urban areas of Jakarta. Constipation was diagnosed using the Rome III criteria. The findings showed that 18.3% of these children had constipation. Females and those residing in North Jakarta showed risks associated with constipation at school-age and during adolescence. Symptoms independently associated with constipation were abdominal pain and straining. On the other hand, the prevalence of constipation was significantly higher in those who had experienced stressful life events such as a parent’s alcoholism, severe illness of a close family member, hospitalization of the child for any illness, being bullied at school, and loss of a parents job. It was inferred that constipation is a significant health problem, which affects nearly 20% of Indonesian school-aged children and adolescents. It was stated that common school and home related stressful life events are probable predisposing factors to the development of constipation in these children.