Somatic symptom burden, PTSD, and dissociation: Cross-sectional findings from 995 international female mental health service users

Li C. M., Yuan G. F., Wang E. K., Şar V., Lam S. K. K., Reyes M. E. S., ...Daha Fazla

Journal of Psychosomatic Research, cilt.195, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 195
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112181
  • Dergi Adı: Journal of Psychosomatic Research
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, ASSIA, BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, CINAHL, Gender Studies Database, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Psycinfo
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Betrayal trauma, Complex PTSD, Dissociative disorders, Somatic symptoms
  • İstanbul Üniversitesi-Cerrahpaşa Adresli: Evet

Özet

Objective: Somatic symptom burden is frequently linked to trauma-related psychopathology; Yet, the specific contributions of PTSD, disturbances in self-organization (DSO), and dissociation remain underexplored. Our study examined the prevalence of somatic symptom burden among female mental health service users and evaluated the associations between trauma-related symptoms and somatic symptom burden. Methods: Female participants (N = 995) from international clinical settings completed validated self-report measures assessing somatic symptoms (SSS-8), childhood trauma (BBTS), PTSD and DSO symptoms (ITQ), and dissociation (MDI). Results: Over half (54.9 %) reported elevated somatic symptom burden (SSS-8 ≥ 13). These individuals were significantly more likely to screen positive for probable ICD-11 PTSD/CPTSD (62.6 % vs 28.3 %), X2 (1) = 116.685,p < 0.001,Φ = 0.34, and report dissociative symptoms (61.5 % vs 16.0 %), X2 (1) = 210.883,p < 0.001,Φ = 0.46, compared to those with lower somatic symptom burden. Hierarchical regression revealed that PTSD, DSO, and dissociation accounted for an additional 32 % of variance in somatic symptom burden beyond demographics and childhood trauma exposure. Logistic regression confirmed that PTSD (OR = 1.54), DSO (OR = 1.67), and dissociation (OR = 2.08) were each significantly associated with elevated somatic symptom burden (all ps < 0.001). The final model demonstrated good classification performance (accuracy = 75.1 %, AUC = 0.824) and significantly outperformed individual symptom models. Conclusion: Trauma-related symptoms are closely linked to somatic symptoms among female clinical populations. Findings emphasize the need for trauma-informed screening and treatment to effectively identify Somatic Symptom Disorders and manage somatic symptoms in mental health settings.