title: Psychosomatic symptoms in medical outpatients: an investigation of self-handicapping theory.
abstract: Investigated self-handicapping theory as it relates to somatization in medical patients. We predicted that medical outpatients (N = 113) would report psychosomatic symptoms in response to events that threaten their self-esteem. As predicted, results of hierarchical multiple regression indicated that high-perfectionism patients reported somatic symptoms positively related to the number of events that jeopardize their sense of accomplishment, whereas low-perfectionism patients' somatic symptoms were not related to these events (p = .005). Contrary to prediction, high-dependency patients did not differ significantly from low-dependency patients in the relationship of somatic symptoms and events that threatened their interpersonal relationships (p = .115). Implications of these findings and the utility of self-handicapping theory for predicting somatization in medical patients are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco.
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Organista
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miranda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D003858:Dependency, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D012803:Sick Role; D012931:Social Environment; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*