Three global indices of symptomatology summarize results of the Brief Symptom Inventory. This study attended to the relationship between global indices of symptom enumeration and symptom severity. Among profiles of 850 adult outpatients, a strong relationship existed between style of reporting symptoms, emphasizing number or intensity, and prominence of certain symptom dimensions. Patients reporting numerous low-grade symptoms were high on Somatization and Phobic Anxiety. Those with more intense focal symptoms were high on Depression and Anxiety. An explanation of results is offered by referring to features likely common among associated symptom dimensions.
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