The Influence of Family Function and Bringing-up Environment on the Onset of Psychosomatic and Psychosomatic-related Diseases in Adolescence

Abstract

We investigated the influence of family function and bringing-up environment on the onset of psychosomatic and psychosomatic-related diseases in adolescence. The subjects were 195 patients (average age was 21 years) who consulted our psychosomatic department and 415 volunteers students as controls (average age was 20 years). We used logistic regression to analyse their responses to our original questionnaires. Six items were extracted as risk factors of psychosomatic diseases (eating disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, and hyperventilation syndrome et al) and psychosomatic-related diseases (mood disorders, adjustment disorders, and anxiety disorders) by logistic multi-regression analysis. They were "My parents did physical violence to me", "Father often did physical violence to mother", "I did not feel safe in our house", "I was indulged by my parents", "One parent died in my childhood", "I don't remember whether I was loved by parents". The odd's ratio of subjects who answered "yes" to two of these factors was 7.9 compared to the subjects who answered "no" to all these factors. Subjects who were "yes" for more than three factors had an odd's ratio of 21.1. These results suggest that psychologically safe household and good family function are very important for the prevention of psychosomatic and psychosomatic-related diseases. Language: ja