Adolescents' somatic complaints in eight countries: what influence do parental rearing styles have?

Abstract

Medically unexplained physical symptoms are frequently named by adolescents in both clinical and normative samples. This study analyzed the associations between parental rearing styles and adolescents' body complaints in diverse cultural contexts. In a cross-cultural study of 2415 adolescents from eight countries (Argentina, France, Germany, Greece, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, and Turkey), the associations of maternal and paternal support, psychological control, and an anxious parental monitoring style with youth body complaints were tested. Girls reported more somatic complaints than boys, the level of complaints differed between countries, and gender differences varied significantly between countries. Hierarchic multilevel models revealed that the expression of distress via body complaints, after controlling for country, gender, and sociodemographic status, was significantly associated with parental rearing styles. The negative impact of mothers' psychological control on body complaints generalize across countries. In addition, mothers' anxious monitoring had a negative impact on the offspring's health, whereas higher levels of paternal support and lower levels of paternal psychological control contributed to lower levels of somatic complaints. Sociodemographic variables such as family structure, standard of living, and employment status of the parents, did not turn out as significant in the final model. The findings point to the different roles of fathers and mothers play in adolescents' health and their complex interplay.