Abstract
SummaryBackgroundAssociations of social anxiety disorder (SAD) with various somatic symptoms have been already reported in the literature several times. The present study investigated somatic complaints in children and adolescents with SAD compared to controls and evaluated the relationship between social anxiety and somatic symptom severity.MethodsThirty children and adolescents with SAD were compared with 36 healthy age-matched controls. Self-reported fears were assessed using the Phobiefragebogen für Kinder und Jugendliche (PHOKI); emotional and behavioral problems were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/4-18); and the Gießener Beschwerdebogen für Kinder und Jugendliche (GBB-KJ) was used to assess 59 somatic symptoms.ResultsParents and youth with SAD reported higher somatic symptom severity compared to controls. Youth with SAD more frequently reported stomach pain, circulatory complaints, and fatigue than controls. Specific group differences between SAD and control youth were found for the following single somatic symptoms: faintness, quickly exhausted, sensation of heat, stomachache, nausea, dizziness, and sudden heart complaints. Parents of girls with SAD reported higher somatic symptom severity than parents of boys with SAD.ConclusionsThe results demonstrated a significant positive association between somatic symptoms and social anxiety in youth. The results of the present study can help to develop improved screening measurements, which increase the proportion of children and adolescents with SAD receiving proper treatment.
Highlights
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a very common mental health disorder [1] that typically begins in childhood or adolescence [2, 3] with highest incidence rates between the ages of 10 and 19 years [4].SAD can be associated with various impairments, with the effects on social [5] and academic [5, 6] lives being highly detrimental for children
Children and adolescents, who were diagnosed with social phobia according to ICD-10 (F-40.1) by a specialist, were recruited to the outpatient, semiinpatient and inpatient departments
Either the diagnosis of social phobia was detected by a specialist according to the ICD-10 criteria (F-40.1) or it already existed at the time of examination, or else, there was a preliminary tentative diagnosis, which was subsequently followed diagnostically and led to it being included in the study after hedging the diagnosis
Summary
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a very common mental health disorder [1] that typically begins in childhood or adolescence [2, 3] with highest incidence rates between the ages of 10 and 19 years [4]. SAD can be associated with various impairments, with the effects on social [5] and academic [5, 6] lives being highly detrimental for children. This expresses itself in higher scores on a loneliness scale and having fewer friends than their age-matched peers [5]. Even reduced quality of life is often reported [1, 10]
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