Somatic presentation of mental health concerns, stigma, and mental health treatment engagement among college students

Abstract

Objective: To identify mental health and treatment utilization correlates of somatic symptoms.Participants: Undergraduate students (N = 184) were recruited through an online research portal from November 2017 to May 2018. Methods: Cross-sectional survey. Results: Somatic symptoms were significantly correlated with public stigma, depression, and anxiety. Controlling for demographics, somatic symptoms, depression scores, and belief in the effectiveness of therapy emerged as concurrent predictors of mental health treatment use in logistic regression analyses. Conclusions: Given the detrimental effects of somatic symptoms on health outcomes and academic performance, universal screening of somatic and psychiatric symptoms in primary care and mental health settings serving college students is warranted. Future research should differentiate between patients who experience somatic versus affective symptoms of depression. In addition, researchers should examine the degree to which addressing the relationship between somatic and psychological symptoms can help lessen the added burden of somatic symptoms on individuals’ functioning.