Relationship Between Traumatic Experiences and Somatic Symptoms Severity in Students

Objective: The present research aimed to study the relationship between traumatic experiences and somatic symptoms severity in students. Methods: This research was a cross-sectional study. The study population included all students of the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran. The study sample consisted of 264 healthy adult university students, who were selected using a convenience sampling method. Participants were asked to fill out two self-report measures: Patient Health Questionnaire Physical Symptoms and Traumatic Experiences Checklist. The study data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. All analyses were conducted using SPSS20.  Results: Based on the obtained results, a significant relationship was found between traumatic experiences and somatic symptoms severity (P<0.01). Multiple regression analysis indicated that emotional neglect significantly predicted 23% of somatic symptoms severity (P<0.001). In addition, no significant correlation was found between physical abuse, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and emotional abuse with somatic symptoms severity. Conclusion: Study results indicated that traumatic experiences, especially emotional neglect, are important in the prediction of somatic symptoms severity.

Relationship Between Traumatic Experiences and Somatic Symptoms Severity in Students Keywords:

Somatic symptoms , Childhood trauma , Child maltreatment , Somatoform disorder