The amplification of somatic symptoms.

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Abstract
We studied the role of somatosensory amplification, as measured by a self-report questionnaire, in symptomatology, overall discomfort, and distability in 115 patients with upper-respiratory-tract infections who visited an adult medical walk-in clinic. Multiple regression analyses indicated that amplification was a statistically significant predictor of the patients'' localized but not systemic symptoms, of reported overall discomfort, and of their social and vocational disability. These relationships held true while controlling for differences in medical morbidity and sociodemographic characteristics. Amplification was closely related to, but distinct from, three measures of dysphoria: depression, anxiety, and hostility. The tendency of amplify a broad range of bodily sensations may therefore be an important factor in experiencing, reporting, and functioning with an acute and relatively mild medical illness.

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