title: Hypnotizability and somatic complaints: a gender-specific phenomenon.
abstract: The relationship between hypnotizability and somatic illness was measured in 45 college students. Several weeks after completing the Waterloo-Stanford Group C Scale (WSGC), participants filled out a somatic-complaint checklist and measures of psychopathology. Results indicated a positive correlation between hypnotizability and somatic illness, and the relationship was stronger for female participants. In contrast to the quadratic model proposed by Wickramasekera, the current data demonstrated a linear relationship between hypnotizability and somatic complaint. Further analyses showed that somatic complaints were associated with hallucination and imagery items, corresponding to the perceptual-cognitive factor identified in Woody, Barnier, and McConkey's (2005) factor analysis of the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C. The results call into question some claims that high hypnotizability is an adaptive and healthy trait.
authors.affiliation: Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesea, Stanford, California 94304-1573, USA. jyounger@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Jarred W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Younger
authors.forename: Gina C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Rossetti
authors.forename: Jeffrey J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Borckardt
authors.forename: Arthur R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Anthony F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Tasso
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Nash
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006990:Hypnosis; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D011599:Psychopathology; D012737:Sex Factors; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology