Trauma prevalence and somatoform symptoms: are there specific somatoform symptoms related to traumatic experiences?
There is still insufficient knowledge on the subject of possibly specific patterns of somatoform symptoms related to sexual or nonsexual traumatizations. Using standardized questionnaires, a sample of 892 patients consecutively admitted to a psychotherapy outpatient clinic were evaluated for psychological symptoms in general, for somatoform symptoms and for history of traumatizations. Any severe lifetime trauma was reported in 67.8% of the total sample. Somatoform symptoms were notably more prevalent in traumatized patients when compared with nontraumatized patients. Descriptive data analysis revealed specific elevations of symptom frequencies for pseudoneurological symptoms and for symptoms associated with discomfort or dysfunction in sexual organs.
Sack
Martin
M
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany. m.sack@tum.de
Lahmann
Claas
C
Jaeger
Burkard
B
Henningsen
Peter
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011613:Psychotherapy; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012737:Sex Factors; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology