Development Of Psychosomatic Symptoms Research Articles

Psychosocial Impacts of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic in Zimbabwe: Citizens’ Perspective

Abstract The outbreak of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic altered the social, economic, and public health landscape across the world, and unleashed a plethora of negative psychosocial impacts on society. This qualitative study used an online based case study design to explore the psychosocial impacts of COVID-19 among a few selected citizens of Zimbabwe. The study was conceptualized around an orienting question stated as: What are the psychosocial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe? Participants for the study were purposively selected, and data was collected through in-depth interviews, which were hosted online. The study returned findings that the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe was concomitant with a range of psychosocial impacts including inter alia, exposure of people to mental health problems such as severe distress, phobias, anxiety, development of psychosomatic symptoms, as well as increase in social ills such as poverty, and domestic and sexual violence perpetrated against women and children.

The natural history of psychosomatic symptoms and their association with psychological symptoms: Observations from the Population Study of Women in Gothenburg

Objective: To study the prevalence of subjective unspecified psychological symptoms (UPS) in a cohort of middle-aged women and the development of psychosomatic symptoms over 24 years. Methods: In 1968–1969, 1462 randomly selected women, aged 38, 46, 50, 54 and 60, were recruited. A 24-year follow-up was performed in 1992–1993 (n=836). The same structured interview concerning psychological and psychosomatic symptoms was used on both occasions. Results: The prevalence of UPS was 28% in 1968–1969 and 20% in 1992–1993. Women with UPS in 1968–1969 were significantly more likely to have asthma/obstructive symptoms (34% vs 26%), headache (38% vs 22%) and abdominal symptoms (40% vs 21%), but not hypertension/high blood pressure (28% vs 28%), than women who did not report UPS. In 1992–1993, women with UPS in 1968–1969 were significantly still more likely to have asthmatic (25% vs 18%) and abdominal symptoms (44% vs 33%). Sixty-one per cent of women with UPS in 1968–1969 did not report such symptoms in 1992–1993, compared to 86% of women without UPS in 1968–1969 (p<0.001).Conclusion: Women reporting UPS seemed to have a higher frequency of simultaneous psychosomatic symptoms than women not reporting UPS. However, having UPS was apparently unassociated with the development of psychosomatic symptoms over time. Psychosomatic symptoms in women seem to be self-limiting and decrease with time.

Masked Depressions in Obstetrics and Gynecology

The development of psychosomatic symptoms should not be viewed exclusively under the aspect of anxiety or defense against anxiety. In another study, we have shown that affects other than anxiety can lead to functional obstetric disturbances (2). The insight that depressions, above all masked depressions can be the basis of many psychosomatic symptoms in obstetrics and gynecology paves the way for good therapeutic possibilities in many cases that have been resistant to therapy heretofore. Antidepressants often bring prompt relief from symptoms. Psychotherapy is possible in numerous cases following success in prescribing antidepressants.