Course and Outcome of Somatoform Disorders in Non-Referred Adolescents
Abstract
The author examined the course of somatoform disorders in non-referred adolescents. Somatoform disorders were coded from DSM-IV criteria, using the computerized Munich (Germany) version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. About 35.9% of the adolescents with somatoform disorders at the index investigation continued to have the same disorders at the follow-up investigation: 26.7% had anxiety, 17.1% had depression, 22% had substance-use disorders, and 53.7% had no psychiatric disorders. Factors related to the chronicity of somatoform disorders included gender, comorbid depressive disorders, parental psychiatric disorders, and negative life events. Somatoform disorders showed a heterogeneous pattern of course.
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Research examining the prevalence of health anxiety using diagnostic criteria suggests that very few children meet full diagnostic criteria, leading researchers to argue that this could be due to a lack of appropriate descriptions of how severe health anxiety presents in children and youth.
“However, research examining the prevalence of health anxiety using diagnostic criteria suggests that very few children meet full diagnostic criteria [18, 91, 92], leading researchers to argue that this could be due to a lack of appropriate descriptions of how severe health anxiety presents in children and youth [93].”
From Illness Anxiety Disorder: A Review of the Current Research and Future Directions (2024) · cites this paper as [91]
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- Authors
- Essau, C. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Roehampton (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Essau, Cecilia A.
- ORCID
- Essau, Cecilia A.
- Venue
- Psychosomatics
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2007-11
- Volume
- 48
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 502-509
- ISSN
- 0033-3182 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2077460576
- Cited by
- 35
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 0.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychosomatics (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Keywords
- somatoform disorders, adolescents, clinical course, chronicity, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, substance use disorders, comorbidities, parental mental illness, negative life events, gender differences
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Psychology, Adolescent, Anxiety Disorders, Child, Chronic Disease, Depressive Disorder, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Germany, Humans, Interview, Psychological, Life Change Events, Male, Parents, Referral and Consultation, Risk Factors, Sex Factors, Somatoform Disorders, Comorbidity, Odds Ratio, Child of Impaired Parents, Disease Progression, Substance-Related Disorders
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