title: Nonspecific somatic symptoms in early adolescent girls.
abstract: Nonspecific somatic symptoms such as headaches, stomachache, and tiredness are common among adolescent females. The epidemiology of such symptoms is poorly defined. As part of a study on the age of onset of puberty, 239 Jewish schoolgirls living in Jerusalem, Israel, grades 4-8, were asked to rate their usual state of health. Thirteen girls (5.5%) reported poor health and cited nonspecific somatic symptoms as the reason. Nonspecific somatic symptoms were most prevalent (13.8%) among girls in early puberty (Tanner stage B2). Low maternal educational level and large family size were significantly associated with such symptoms. In a comparison with a matched control group, the girls with nonspecific somatic symptoms were significantly more likely to have mothers with a chronic illness. The potential implications of our findings are discussed.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011627:Puberty