Frequent Somatic Complaints and Psychosocial Risk in Adolescents

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Frequent headaches and abdominal pain are a relatively common occurrence among adolescents. At some point, however frequent somatic pain is presumed to be a clinically significant associate of psychosocial maladaptation. In an earlier analysis, results indicated that frequent reports of somatic pain (headaches and abdominal pain) were significant associates of other risk states. The data also suggested that frequent abdominal pain was a particularly sensitive predictor of risk among adolescent boys. The present study attempted to replicate and extend that analysis with an independent sample of early adolescents. Specifically, the study assessed the relationship of frequent somatic complaints to relative risk of engaging in health risk behaviors and reports of other emotional risk states. The data from this analysis affirm the relatedness of reports of frequent somatic complaints and elevated behavioral risk The current data did not confirm a greater association of frequent somatic complaints and risk among adolescent boys.