Life events and other risk factors for somatic symptoms in adolescence.

Objective: To determine mental health risk factors related to somatic symptoms, common in adolescence.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Ten schools, corresponding approximately to US senior high schools, in two cities in Finland.

Subjects: A total of 1429 adolescents with no serious disease or injury during the previous 12 months.

Results: Frequent or rather frequent occurrence of two or more symptoms was reported by 44% of the female students and 28% of the male students during the past 6 months. Regression analyses showed that among female students, somatic symptoms were associated positively with serious illness or injury in the family, an increased number of arguments between parents, and breaking up with boyfriends or girlfriends; among male students, symptoms were associated with an increased absence of a parent from the home and trouble with siblings; and among both sexes, they were associated with failing examinations. Among male students, changing to new schools was associated with fewer symptoms. Symptom scores associated positively with trait anxiety, trait depression, an immature defense style, and alcohol or drug use among both sexes. Among male students, smoking was associated with more symptoms, and among female students, high self-esteem was associated with fewer symptoms.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that mental health risk factors are strong correlates of somatic symptoms among adolescents with no serious disease. Follow-up studies are needed to clarify the predictive value of these factors.