Relationship of sexual assault history to somatic symptoms and health anxiety in women.

Prior reports have pointed to a link between traumatic experiences and health consequences in women. The objective of this study was to determine whether there is an association between sexual assault history and measures of somatic symptoms and illness attitudes in a sample of female Veterans Affairs primary care patients, a group in whom high rates of sexual trauma have been reported. We conducted a cross-sectional study of a representative sample of 219 women in a Veteran's Affairs primary care outpatient clinic.