A group of children, aged 8 to 13 years, presenting to their pediatricians with multiple medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS) were compared with a control group of children from the identical age range who were, according to their pediatricians, free of unexplained physical symptoms. The groups were compared on both self-reported and parented-rated scales assessing physical symptoms and psychosocial functioning. The multiple MUPS group, relative to controls, exhibited significantly higher levels of parent-reported emotional/behavioral symptoms and a trend toward higher patient-reported anxiety than controls. Parents’ and child’s reports of symptomatology were modestly correlated. Symptom patterns characteristic of pediatric somatization differed as a function of whether child or parent reports were analyzed. Methodological issues in research on pediatric somatization were addressed and some directions for future research emerged.
BerntssonLTKöhlerL. Long-term illness and psychosomatic complaints in children aged 2-17 years in the five Nordic countries. Eur J Public Health. 2001;11:35-42.
2.
TamminenTMBredenbergPEscartinT. Psychosomatic symptoms in preadolescent children. Psychother Psychosom. 1991;56:70-77.
3.
WoolfolkRLAllenLA. Treating Somatization: A Cognitive-Behavioral Approach. New York, NY: Guilford Press; 2007.
4.
GrøholtEStigumHNordhagenRKöhlerL. Recurrent pain in children, socio-economic factors and accumulation in families. Eur J Epidemiol. 2003;18:965-975.
5.
GarberJZemanJWalkerLS. Recurrent abdominal pain in children: psychiatric diagnoses and parental psychopathology. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1990;29:648-656.
6.
CampoJVJansen-McWilliamsLComerDMKelleherKJ. Somatization in pediatric primary care: association with psychopathology, functional impairment, and use of services. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1999;38:1093-1101.
7.
DornLDCampoJVThatoS. Psychological comorbidity and stress reactivity in children and adolescents with recurrent abdominal pain and anxiety disorders. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2003;42:66-75.
8.
HodgesKKlineJJBarberoGFlaneryR. Depressive symptoms in children with recurrent abdominal pain and in their families. J Pediatr. 1985;107:622-626.
9.
SawyerMGDavidsonGPGoodwinDCrettendenAD. Recurrent abdominal pain in childhood. Relationship to psychological adjustment of children and families: a preliminary study. Aust Paediatr J. 1987;23:121-124.
10.
WalkerLSGarberJGreeneJW. Psychosocial correlates of recurrent childhood pain: a comparison of pediatric patients with recurrent abdominal pain, organic illness, and psychiatric disorders. J Abnorm Psychol. 1993;102:248-258.
11.
WalkerLSGreeneJW. Children with recurrent abdominal pain and their parents: more somatic complaints, anxiety, and depression than other patient families?J Pediatr Psychol. 1989;14:231-243.
12.
KaufmanKLCromerBDaleidenEL. Recurrent abdominal pain in adolescents: psychosocial correlates of organic and nonorganic pain. Child Health Care. 1997;26:15-30.
13.
SongKMMortonAAKochKDHerringJABrowneRHHanwayJP. Chronic musculoskeletal pain in childhood. J Pediatr Orthop. 1998;18:576-581.
14.
ZuckermanBStevensonJBaileyV. Stomachaches and headaches in a community sample of preschool children. Pediatrics. 1987;79:677-682.
15.
CampoJVBridgeJEhmannM. Recurrent abdominal pain, anxiety, and depression in primary care. Pediatrics. 2004;113:817-824.
16.
WatsonKDPapageorgiouACJonesGT. Low back pain in schoolchildren: the role of mechanical and psychosocial factors. Arch Dis Child. 2003;88:12-17.
17.
EggerHLCostelloEJErkanliAAngoldA. Somatic complaints and psychopathology in children and adolescents: stomach aches, musculoskeletal pains, and headaches. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1999;38:852-860.
18.
HotopfMCarrSMayouRWadsworthMWesselyS. Why do children have chronic abdominal pain and what happens to them when they grow up? Population based cohort study. BMJ. 1998;316:1196-1200.
19.
Domènech-LlaberiaEJanéMCCanalsJBallespíSEsparóGGarraldaE. Parental reports of somatic symptoms in preschool children: prevalence and associations in a Spanish simple. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2004;43:598-604.
20.
WalkerLSGarberJ. Manual for the Children’s Somatization Inventory. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University; 2003.
21.
ReynoldsCRPagetKD. National normative and reliability data for the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale. Sch Psychol Rev. 1983;12:324-336.
22.
AchenbachTMRescorlaLA. Manual for the ASEBA School-Age Forms & Profiles. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, & Families; 2001.
23.
MertinPDibnahCCrosbieVBulkeleyR. Using North American instruments with British samples: norms for the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale in the UK. Child Psychol Psychiatry Rev. 2001;6:121-126.
24.
KroenkeKSharpeMSykesR. Revising the classification of somatoform disorders: key questions and preliminary recommendations. Psychosomatics. 2007;48:277-285.
WatsonDPennebakerJW. Health complaints, stress, and distress: exploring the central role of negative affectivity. Psychol Rev. 1989;96:234-254.
27.
TaylorDCSzatmariPBoyleMHOffordDR. Somatization and the vocabulary of everyday bodily experiences and concerns: a community study of adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1996;35:491-499.
28.
De Los ReyesAKazdinAE. Informant discrepancies in the assessment of childhood psychopathology: a critical review, theoretical framework, and clarifications for further study. Psychol Bull. 2005;131:483-509.
