engleski

Effects of anxiety and perfectionism on somatic symptoms in children

It is found that more than 50% of elementary school children experience one of the somatic symptoms. Anxiety problems in childhood are often reflected in somatic symptoms. Positive relationship between anxiety, anxiety sensitivity and psychosomatic symptoms in children has been proved, but not many research checked the relationship of psychosomatic symptoms with different dimensions of anxiety. The main goal of this researh was to explore the relationship between anxiety sensitivity, perfectionism, different dimensions of anxiety (physical symptoms, social and separation anxiety and harm avoidance) and psychosomatic symptoms in elementary school children. The frequency of psychosomatic symptoms, as well as the level the child is disturbed by them, was measured. As the relationship of perfectionism and anxiety is well known, we wanted to check te effects of perfectionism on somatic symptoms. Sex differences in measured variables are also assessed. 294 children (152 boys and 142 girls ; mean age 12, 74 years) completed The Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children, Childhod Anxiety Sensitivity Index, Psychosomatic Symptoms Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents, Adaptive/Maladaptive Perfectionism Scale. The results show sex differences in all measures (girls scoring higher), besides the frequency of somatic symptoms. Perfectionism is related to the frequency of somatic symptoms and disturbance by them only in girls, while anxiety sensitivity, has the same significant effect on somatic symptoms in all children. Three dimensions of anxiety (physical symptoms, social and separation anxiety) are related to somatic symptoms, while harm avoidance anxiety dimension has no effect. Implications for prevention and treatment interventions are discussed.

anxiety; perfectionism; somatic symptoms; children

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