ANXIETY AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO SOMATIC COMLAINTS IN COLLEGE STUDENTS

Abstract

The following study was undertaken to elucidate the relationships between psychosomatic symptoms and anxiety in college-age adolescents. 194 subjects, students at an Ivy League college and patients of its health service, were studied. Half of the subjects were making visits to the health service and half were randomly selected university students who ware recruited for the study. 63% of the subjects were female; 23% were freshmen, 26% sophomores, 19% juniors, 26% seniors and 6% fifth year or greater. 8% of students listed a chronic health problem such as asthma. All subjects completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the SUNYA Ravision of the Psychosomatic Symptom Checklist (PSC) a measure of somatic symptoms (e.g. headache, abdcminal pain, etc.) assessed for frequency and intensity. Mean State anxiety score was 40.3 (40.8 in fanales--76th percentile, 38.3 in males--61st percentile). Mean Trait anxiety score was 39.7 (40.3 for females--65th percentile and 37.3 for males--53rd percentile). The mean PSC score was 24.6 (60th percentile). There were no significant differences between the health center visit group and the recruited group for any of these scores. There was a significant correlation between the total PSC score and the State (r=.51, P<.001) and Trait (r=.60, p<.001) anxiety scores, respectively. There were also significant correlations (at P≤.01) between 10 of the 17 individual somatic symptoms on the PSC and State and Trait scores. There ware no significant differences in STAI and PSC scores between different classes, nor between those with/without reported chronic health problems. A significant correlation between some psychosomatic complaints and anxiety in one group of college students suggests that nonorganically based somatic complaints should prompt sane discussion of anxiety in this age group.