Prevalence Of Somatization Research Articles

High Somatization Rates, Frequent Spontaneous Recovery, and a Lack of Organic Biomarkers in Post-Covid-19 Condition.

Many patients report neuropsychiatric symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Data on prevalence of post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) vary due to the lack of specific diagnostic criteria, the report of unspecific symptoms, and reliable biomarkers. PCC patients seen in a neurological outpatient department were followed for up to 18 months. Neurological examination, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, Epstein-Barr virus antibodies, and cortisol levels as possible biomarkers, questionnaires to evaluate neuropsychiatric symptoms and somatization (Patient Health Questionnaires D [PHQ-D]), cognition deficits (Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MoCA]), sleep disorders (ISS, Epworth Sleepiness Scale [ESS]), and fatigue (FSS) were included. A total of 175 consecutive patients (78% females, median age 42 years) were seen between May 2021 and February 2023. Fatigue, subjective stress intolerance, and subjective cognitive deficits were the most common symptoms. Specific scores were positive for fatigue, insomnia, and sleepiness and were present in 95%, 62.1%, and 44.0%, respectively. Cognitive deficits were found in 2.3%. Signs of somatization were identified in 61%, who also had an average of two symptoms more than patients without somatization. Overall, 28% had a psychiatric disorder, including depression and anxiety. At the second visit (n=92), fatigue (67.3%) and insomnia (45.5%) had decreased. At visit three (n=43), symptom load had decreased in 76.8%; overall, 51.2% of patients were symptom-free. Biomarker testing did not confirm an anti-EBV response. SARS-CoV-2-specific immune reactions increased over time, and cortisol levels were within the physiological range. Despite high initial symptom load, 76.8% improved over time. The prevalence of somatization and psychiatric disorders was high. Our data do not confirm the role of previously suggested biomarkers in PCC patients.

Psychological Distress and Risk Factors in Frontline Nurses Confronting COVID-19 in Less Severely Affected Areas.

The current study investigated the prevalence and risk factors of somatization, depression, and anxiety among 374 frontline nurses in less severely affected areas during the initial period of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. The prevalence of somatization, depression, and anxiety among frontline nurses was 41.4%, 40.1%, and 37.4%, respectively. Nurses from provincial-level hospitals were less likely to report somatization (odds ratio [OR] = 0.50; p = 0.018), depression (OR = 0.52; p = 0.024), and anxiety (OR = 0.35; p < 0.001) than those from county-level hospitals. Longer service duration was significantly associated with a higher likelihood of reporting somatization (OR = 1.06; p = 0.008) and depression (OR = 1.06; p = 0.006). Psychological distress exists in frontline nurses in less severely affected areas, and hospital levels and service duration are independent risk factors for psychological stress in these nurses. Maintaining nurses' mental health is an important issue in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in addition to sufficient distribution of medical resources between hospitals at different levels. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 61(4), 37-44.].

Современные подходы к оценке физического развития детей и подростков

Актуальность. На данный момент в Украине наблюдаются негативные тенденции в физическом развитии детской популяции с ростом распространенности избыточного веса, который выступает предиктором развития ожирения во взрослом возрасте, повышения уровня хронической соматической заболеваемости и смертности. Цель исследования: оценить уровень физического развития учащихся и определить наиболее информативную методику с позиций выявления групп риска нарушения пищевого статуса. Материалы и методы. Проведено поперечное обследование 277 школьников 10–14 лет (125 мальчиков и 152 девочки) с использованием антропометрических показателей, индекса Кетле (ИМТ) и Вервека, методов калиперометрии и биоимпендансометрии с последующей их оценкой по международным и национальным стандартам. Статистическая обработка данных проведена в лицензированном пакете IBM SPSS Statistics v. 22 с использованием t-теста и обобщающих линейных моделей. Результаты. Анализ половозрастных особенностей физического развития показал достоверное уменьшение ИМТ в 11 лет и его рост в 12 лет в обеих половых группах, риск развития ожирения у мальчиков 10 и 12 лет и гармоничное развитие девочек. По индексу Вервека процессы вытягивания регистрировались у 11-летних девочек, а отставание процессов роста — у 10-летних школьников обоих полов. Резко дисгармоничное физическое развитие по национальным шкалам регрессии определялось в 12-летнем возрасте, а гармоничное — у 10-летних мальчиков и 13-летних девочек. Содержание жировой ткани существенно не отличалось в разных возрастных группах, а мышечной — было достоверно большим у мальчиков 14 лет. Такие данные при сравнении с ИМТ позволяют предположить, что более высокий индекс Кетле определялся за счет развитой мышечной системы, а не свидетельствовал о формировании ожирения у мальчиков. Это подтверждается и результатами калиперометрии. По результатам антропометрических исследований получены две генерализованные смешанные линейные модели для определения содержания жировой и мышечной ткани. Сопоставление их с результатами биоимпендансометрии продемонстрировало высокую точность построенных моделей, что было подтверждено результатами t-теста. Выводы. Доказана высокая информативность методик, использованных для оценки физического развития, и целесообразность их применения в составе алгоритма комплексной оценки физического развития детского контингента, что является перспективным для дальнейшего мониторинга и анализа морфофункциональных изменений.

Comparison of prevalence and risk factors of somatization between Chinese health care workers and non-health care workers during COVID-19 outbreak

BackgroundThis study aimed to compare prevalence and risk factors of somatization (SOM) between health care workers and non-health care workers during COVID-19 outbreak in China.MethodsFrom 14 February to 29 March 2020, an online survey was performed in both 605 health care workers and 1151 non-health care workers. Based on the somatization dimension score of the Symptom Checklist-90, participants were divided into non-SOM group and SOM group.ResultsHealth care workers had higher prevalence rate of SOM (p < 0.001) than non-health care workers, with an OR of 1.70 (95% CI, 1.22–2.36, p = 0.002). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that in non-health care workers, the risk factors of SOM included other ethnicities, insomnia, and suicide, while in health care workers, the risk factors included working 6–8 h per day, and working ≥10 h per day during COVID-19 outbreak.ConclusionsOur research suggests that both non-health care workers and health care workers have a relatively high prevalence of somatization. However, the related factors for somatization in both groups are significantly different, showing that medical service-related factors are associated with somatization in health care workers, while demographic and clinical factors are associated with somatization in non-health care workers.

Prevalence and Correlation of Anxiety, Insomnia and Somatic Symptoms in a Chinese Population During the COVID-19 Epidemic.

BackgroundAnxiety has been a common mental state during the epidemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and is usually closely related to somatization. However, no study on somatization in anxiety and its relationship with insomnia has been conducted. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the prevalence of anxiety, somatization and insomnia and explore the relationships between different psychological states in the general population during the COVID-19 outbreak.MethodsA total of 1,172 respondents were recruited from 125 cities in mainland China by an online questionnaire survey. All subjects were evaluated with the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale, the somatization subscale of the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R), and the 7-item Insomnia Severity Index (ISI).ResultsThe percentages of anxiety, somatization, and insomnia were 33.02%, 7.59%, and 24.66%, respectively. The prevalence of somatization was 19.38% in participants with anxiety. Compared to the anxiety without somatization group, the anxiety with somatization group had a significantly higher percentage of patients with a history of physical disease and insomnia, as well as higher GAD-7 scores and SCL-90 somatization subscores (all p < 0.001). The SCL-90 somatization subscores were positively correlated with age, history of physical disease, GAD-7 scores, and ISI scores (all p < 0.001). Furthermore, multivariate logistic regression showed that GAD-7 score, ISI score, and age were risk factors for somatization in the anxious population.ConclusionsSomatic and psychological symptoms were common in the general population during the COVID-19 outbreak. Somatic symptoms, anxiety, and insomnia are closely related, and improving anxiety and sleep quality may help relieve somatic symptoms.

Prevalence and detection of medically unexplained symptoms among out-patients in a Primary Health Care setting in South-west Nigeria

Background: Medically unexplained symptoms are frequently encountered by physicians at the primary care level. The complexity lies in the ill-defined nature of the multiple physical symptoms and the similarity to several organic disorders. Objective: To determine the prevalence of medically unexplained symptoms and relate this to physicians detection rate in a primary care setting in South-west, Nigeria. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional, descriptive study of consecutive patients of the General Out-patient Department of Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Ogun State. Interviews were conducted on 472 participants using a purposely designed socio-demographic questionnaire and the self-administered Patient Health Questionnaire -15 to screen for somatic symptoms. Results: The ages of the participants ranged from 18 years to 90 years with the mean of 52.7±20.9 years. Out of the 472 participants, 225 (47.7%) met the criteria for medically unexplained symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). Across ages, medically unexplained symptoms were more often diagnosed among younger age groups especially those close to the age of 35 years (59.2%) [χ2 = 12.34, p = 0.02]. There were significant differences in the prevalence of somatisation across different levels of education [χ2= 9.78, p = 0.03]. Physicians were able to diagnose psychological disorders in 12.4% of participants (n = 28) with somatisation disorders. Conclusion: There was a moderately high prevalence of medically unexplained symptoms in primary health care settings and physicians’ detection rate of somatisation was also low. Physicians in primary health care should have a high index of suspicion for somatisation.

Initial investigation of somatization in the general population of Serbia: Prevalence, manifestations and predictors

Introduction. Somatization is one of the most prevalent current health issues affecting the well-being and quality of life in the general population. Many psychological constructs influence somatization and its outcomes. It was our aim to assess the features and prevalence of somatization in general population of Serbia by using the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 instrument, as well as to determine its relations with personality traits, factors of psychological distress and well-being. Material and Methods. Two studies were performed: Study 1 (N = 714) aimed to determine the relations between the Big Five personality traits, alexithymia and somatization, and Study 2 (N = 807) investigated the relationship between factors of psychological distress such as depression, anxiety and stress, factors of well-being such as life satisfaction and subjective vitality with somatization. Results. In Study 1, Neuroticism and Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 Factor 1, difficulty identifying feelings, strongly correlated with somatization, and the measured constructs explained 33.4% of somatization variance. In Study 2, anxiety and stress had the strongest correlation indices from the measured constructs and Study 2 regression model explained 44.7% of the variance. The most prevalent symptoms measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 were tiredness, back pain and headaches. Conclusion. Somatization levels were slightly higher than those previously reported in general population. However, they were still well under those reported in the clinical populations. Symptom prevalence was compatible with previous findings in the general population, whereas Neuroticism and anxiety were most closely associated with somatization. Further research is needed to define other factors that contribute to the development of somatization.

No increase in prevalence of somatization in functional vs organic dyspepsia: a cross‐sectional survey

Psychological factors are associated with functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. Literature suggests that somatization is associated with functional dyspepsia (FD). However, the relationship between organic dyspepsia (OD), FD, and FD subtypes and somatization is poorly described. We aimed to examine this issue in a cross-sectional study of secondary care patients. Demographic and GI symptom data were collected from 4224 adult patients via the Rome III questionnaire. Somatization data were collected using the patient health questionnaire-12. Mean somatization score and number of somatic symptoms were compared between patients with organic and FD, and between FD subtypes using analysis of variance. The same comparison was undertaken for the proportion of patients reporting individual somatic symptoms. Exactly, 783 patients met criteria for dyspepsia, of whom 231 (29.5%) had organic disease following upper GI endoscopy. Mean somatization scores and number of somatic symptoms were no higher in functional vs OD (p = 0.23; p = 0.19). In addition, while the prevalence of somatization in FD was relatively high, there was no difference in severity of somatization in FD subgroups. Somatization is associated with functional and OD to the same degree. Overall severity of somatization did not appear to vary according to FD subtype.

Diagnostic overlap of depressive, anxiety, stress and somatoform disorders in primary care

The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of somatization, anxiety, depression and stress in a primary care population, explore their association to psychosocial stressors and determine the diagnostic overlap of these four mental disorders. This is a prospective cross-sectional study. A representative sample of 2,150 patients was approached, of whom 1,762 patients agreed to participate and responded to the questionnaire (81.9%). Anxiety was assessed with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7). Depression was assessed with the depression module Patients Health Questionnaire-8. Somatization was measured with the somatic symptom module PHQ-15. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) instrument was used to identify the stress cases. Of the study sample, 23.8% of the total cases were identified as probable cases. The prevalence of somatization, depression, anxiety and stress was 11.7%, 11.3%, 8.3% and 18.6%, respectively. The specific gender prevalence of these four psychological disorders was very similar in men and women: depression (11.3% versus 11.3%), anxiety (7.7% versus 8.9%), somatization (12.5% versus 10.7%) and stress disorders (19.3% versus 17.8%). A significant difference was observed in nationality and marital status for depression and anxiety (P < 0.05). The age-specific prevalence rate showed a higher prevalence in the age group 45-54 years: depression (13.3%), anxiety (9.5%), somatization (12.8%) and stress (20.4%). Unable to control worries (69.2%) was the worst symptom for anxiety disorders, while the majority of the depressed patients wanted to hurt themselves (71.9%). Stomach pain (46.1%) was the most common symptom in somatic patients. Most of the patients experiencing stress could not cope with their daily duties (65.9%). There was a high comorbidity rate of depression, anxiety, somatization and stress observed in the studied population (9.3%). The prevalence of somatization and depression was similar, but the prevalence of stress was higher in inpatient patients. Somatization, depression, anxiety and stress disorders co-occurred at higher rate in the study sample.

Poster #63 FAMILY LOAD ESTIMATES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA WITH DIFFERENT AGE AT ONSET. FINDINGS FROM A NATION-WIDE POPULATION STUDY OF THREE GENERATIONS

The current systematic review study is aimed at critically analyzing from a clinimetric viewpoint the clinical consequence of somatization in Parkinson's Disease (PD). By focusing on the International Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we conducted a comprehensive electronic literature research strategy on ISI Web-of-Science, PsychINFO, PubMed, EBSCO, ScienceDirect, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. Out of 2.926 initial records, only a total of 9 studies were identified as clearly relevant and analyzed in this systematic review. The prevalence of somatization in PD has been found to range between 7.0% and 66.7%, with somatoform disorders acting as clinical factor significantly contributing to predict a progressive cognitive impairment. We highlighted that somatization is a highly prevalent comorbidity affecting PD. However, the clinical consequence of such psychiatric symptom should be further evaluated by replacing the clinically inadequate diagnostic label of psychogenic parkinsonism with the psychosomatic concept of persistent somatization as conceived by the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research (DCPR).

P-1362 - Prevalence and diagnostic overlap of somatization, anxiety, depression and stress among arab population

Objectives To determine the prevalence of somatisation, depression, anxiety and stress, investigate the socio-demographic characteristics and determine the diagnostic overlap of somatisation, depression, anxiety and stress. Design A cross-sectional study. Setting Primary Health Care (PHC) Center. Subjects Representative sample of 2150 patients were approached and 1762 patients agreed to participate (81.9%) March to October, 2011. Method General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to identify the probable cases. Anxiety was assessed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7). Depression was assessed with depression module (PHQ-8). Somatisation was measured with somatic symptom module of the PHQ -15. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) instrument was used to identify the stress cases. Results The prevalence rate of somatisation, depression, anxiety and stress were 11.7%, 10.6%, 8.3% and 18.6% respectively. More than half of the sufferers with somatisation (58.3%), depression (54.3%), anxiety (50.7%) and stress (56.4%) were men in the age group 45–54 years. Half of the subjects with somatisation (51.4%), depression (50.8%), anxiety (53.4%) and stress (50.7%) were with low education. low economic status among the somatic (35.9%), depressive (35.7%), anxious (35.6%) and stress (34.5%) patients. For somatisation, the most common symptom experienced by men (68.3%) and women (66.3%) was back pain. There was considerable overlap between these four mental disorders. Conclusion Stress and somatisation were the most frequent observed among patients compared to depression and anxiety. Patients with low education and low economic status were more affected with these four mental disorders and patients were not able to cope up daily activities.

Prevalence of somatisation and psychologisation among patients visiting primary health care centres in the State of Qatar

Background: Medically unexplained somatic complaints are among the most common clinical presentations in primary care in developing countries and they are considerable burden for patients and health care system.Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of somatisation in comparison to psychologisation among a sample of Qatari patients who were visiting primary health care (PHC) centres and to investigate the clinical and socio-demographic characteristics of somatisers (STs) and psychologisers (PGs).Method: The survey was conducted among PHC Qatari patients during the period from January to July 2007. About 2,320 patients were approached, of whom 1,689 agreed to participate and responded to the questionnaire. Among the studied Qatari patients, 404 patients were identified for clinical interview. The first stage of the study was conducted with the help of general practitioners, using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. The second stage was carried out by a consultant using the Clinical Interview Schedule. A specific operational criterion was used to identify STs and PGs.Results: The prevalence rate of STs among the total studied sample was 12.4%, while the PGs were 11.5%. Among the identified psychiatric cases, the proportion of STs (52%) was higher than PGs (48%). Most of the diagnostic categories were more prevalent among PGs. The dissatisfaction at work and stressful life events within 12 months before the onset of the presenting symptoms were the three postulated determinants which were significantly more among STs than PGs.Conclusion: The prevalence of somatised mental disorder was little higher than the psychologised mental disorder. The prevalence of somatisation and psychologisation is comparable with other reported studies from the Middle-East and Western countries. Dissatisfaction at work and stressful life events were significantly higher among STs than PGs.

Somatization as cultural idiom of distress: rethinking mind and body in a multicultural society

This paper is a critique of the cross-cultural utility and validity of somatization in the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders. Somatization is defined as the process by which psychological distress is expressed as physical symptoms that have no known organic basis. Rather than a phenomenon limited to non-western cultures as commonly thought of in the past, somatization should be recognized as a universal experience found across cultures. It underscores the significant interrelationships between the mind/psyche and the body, an area embraced by some disciplines such as Jungian psychology and psychotherapy, but historically neglected by bioscience. This paper argues that the reputedly low prevalence of somatization observed in western cultures is an artifact, due to the overly restrictive diagnostic criteria used in clinical practice. This paper argues in favor of the retention of somatization as a valid concept in diagnosis, treatment, and in psychotherapy, especially at a time of increasing cultural diversity.

Prevalence of somatization and minor psychiatric morbidity in primary healthcare in Saudi Arabia: A preliminary study in Asir region

Prevalence of somatization and minor psychiatric morbidity in primary healthcare in Saudi Arabia: A preliminary study in Asir region

Somatization, heartsink patients, or functional somatic symptoms?Towards a clinical useful classification in primary health care

Several definitions of somatization exist and try to deal with the fundamental problem that a large group of patients present with physical symptoms for which a conventional pathology cannot be identified. However, the concept remains somewhat confusing. The prevalence of somatization is high in general practice. Nevertheless, patients do not receive proper treatment and risk iatrogenic somatic fixation and harm, the doctor–patient relationship is often negatively affected and the overall healthcare system suffers from high expenditure on unnecessary physical investigations and treatments. During the last decade research has shown that somatization may be treated effectively in specialist care. Little is known about effective treatment in primary care but the Reattribution Model and the Extended Reattribution and Management Model have shown promising results. The development and evaluation of new treatment strategies is, however, hampered by the confusion of definitions and concepts. In this article an overview is presented of the various concepts relevant to the clinical work and research in primary health care. It is important to realize that somatizing patients in primary health care present a broader spectrum of severity than patients seen in a specialist setting. Hence, primary care cannot apply definitions from specialist care directly but needs a definition that also includes the mild cases. We need classifications and agreed definitions applicable in primary health care in order to develop appropriate management strategies, to predict prognosis, and to enable rigorous research concerning the large group of somatizing patients in primary health care.

Somatization, Anxiety and Depression in a Drug-Free Residential Therapeutic Community

This study aims to assess the nature and prevalence of somatization and related psychiatric symptoms among residents in Daytop Village, a drug-free residential therapeutic community (TC). Three hundred and twenty two residents at Daytop were surveyed, and when compared with a normal, non-patient reference group, residents at Daytop exhibited higher levels of somatization, depression, and anxiety as measured with the Brief Symptom Inventory. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that being widowed or divorced, having marijuana/hallucinogens as greatest drug problem, and the importance of a religious figure in entering Daytop were associated with higher levels of somatization. A length of stay of 3-6 months and acceptance of Daytop program philosophy was inversely correlated with somatization scores. These findings are discussed with particular attention focused on the role of somatization among TC residents.

Ethiopian Jews Meet Israeli Family Physicians: A Study of Cultural Somatization

Cultural somatization can be defined as the use of the body as a metaphor for personal distress, and is a common feature of illness behaviour in both Western and non-Western societies. This study explores the prevalence of somatization among Ethiopian Jewish immigrants in Israel, the relationship of these symptoms to their psychosocial environment, and approaches that Israeli doctors can pursue in order to better understand and communicate with somatizing patients. Lebi, a heart- centred symptom complex, and the illnesses of zar and kole, which are thought to be caused by spirits, are described in case studies as examples of traditional beliefs about illness which have persisted among Ethiopian Jews in Israel.

Somatisation in primary care in Spain: I. Estimates of prevalence and clinical characteristics. Working Group for the Study of the Psychiatric and Psychosomatic Morbidity in Zaragoza.

This is the first attempt to study the prevalence and clinical characteristics of somatisation (ST) in a representative primary care sample in Spain. The sample consisted of 1559 consecutive patients attending eight randomly selected health centres in Zaragoza, Spain, examined by two-phase screening. First phase (lay interviewers): Spanish versions of GHQ-28, CAGE questionnaire, substance abuse, Mini-Mental State Examination. Second phase (research clinicians and psychiatrists): Standardised Polyvalent Psychiatric Interview, which permits the reliable coding of Bridges & Goldberg's ST criteria. The prevalence of somatisers was 9.4% (34.5% of the cases) and most patients (68.7%) were diagnosed in the depression or anxiety DSM-IV categories. The severity was moderate in 401% and 66.6% were chronic (six or more months). No significant demographic differences were found with non-cases. Backache was the most frequent somatic presentation (71.4+%). ST in primary care is a much broader phenomenon than categories such as somatoform disorders reflect. It may be less influenced by sociodemographic factors, but more chronic than previously reported.

Somatization in frequent attenders of general practice.

The DSM-III-(R) definition of somatization disorder is too restrictive for use in general practice. A more comprehensive definition, the "somatic symptom index" (SSI) has shown good validity in open populations. However, a definition has to differentiate validly within a population of frequent attenders to be a useful diagnostic instrument in general practice. We studied a threshold of five complaints (nearly identical to the SSI) in 80 Dutch general practice patients. Patients were selected on age (20-44 years), history of back, neck or abdominal complaints, and on frequency of consultation- at least 12 consultations in the previous 3 years, corrected for consultations with compelling somatic reason for encounter. Prevalence of somatization in this group was 45%. Women had a 2 times higher risk of somatization. A relation with age was not found. Somatization was related to depressive complaints (relative risk 2.5) and probably also to anxiety. Somatizing patients consulted their general practitioner more often and had more health problems (especially psychic problems) than non-somatizers. These results support the validity of this definition. The distinction between our definition of somatization and somatization defined as a symptom of psychiatric (e.g. depressive or anxiety) disorder is emphasized.

The prevalence of somatization in primary care

The authors define somatization as an idiom of distress in which patients with psychosocial and emotional problems articulate their distress primarily through physical symptomatology. Studies are then reviewed to demonstrate the inordinate amount of time and energy these patients cost the health care practitioner as well as the frequency of misdiagnosis. Iatrogenic harm is a common problem in somatizing patients due to unnecessary tests, hospitalizations, surgeries as well as the development of chronic illness behavior. It is essential that psychiatrists working in consultationliaison begin to develop research in the area of somatization especially at the primary care level.