Subjective and physiological reactivity to emotional stressors in somatic symptom disorder.

Objective: We examined whether autonomic flexibility to experimentally presented stressors is reduced in somatic symptom disorder (SSD) as this would point to reduced vagal control as a proposed indicator of emotion regulation deficits.

Method: In this experimental study, the influence of health-related and social stressors on subjective and physiological reactivity was investigated in 29 subjects with SSD without any medical condition SSD(mc-), 33 subjects with SSD with medical condition SSD(mc+) and 32 healthy controls at the age from 18 to 70 years. Self-report and physiological variables were measured before and after/during stressor exposure, using state ratings of symptom intensity, disability, tension and mood, heart rate (HR), and heart rate variability (HRV).

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Complemented with Emotion Regulation Training for Patients with Persistent Physical Symptoms: A Randomised Clinical Trial.

Introduction: Persistent medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) are a major burden for health care. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is efficacious for patients with MUS, with small to medium effects. The current study investigates whether therapy outcomes of a CBT for MUS patients can be improved by complementing it with emotion regulation training.