title: Do parents reinforce somatic complaints in their children?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the influence of parental solicitousness on self-reported somatic complaints in school-age children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 564 children (mean age 10 years) and their parents. Children completed self-report measures of somatic complaints, parental solicitousness, depressiveness, fear, and sense of coherence. Somatic complaints were assessed again 6 months later. Parents also completed a questionnaire about solicitousness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Parental solicitousness as reported by children or parents was unrelated to the frequency of self-reported somatic complaints. Symptoms of depression, fear, and lower sense of coherence were associated with more somatic complaints, but did not interact with parental solicitousness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parental solicitousness seems unrelated to more frequent somatic complaints in schoolchildren.
authors: Leiden University-Institute for Psychological Research, Developmental Psychology, Leiden. FJellesma@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
authors: Francine C
authors: FC
authors: Jellesma
authors: Carolien
authors: C
authors: Rieffe
authors: Mark Meerum
authors: MM
authors: Terwogt
authors: P Michiel
authors: PM
authors: Westenberg
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012803:Sick Role; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*