Assessment of somatic symptoms in British secondary school children using the Children's Somatization Inventory (CSI).
OBJECTIVE
To present normative and psychometric data on somatic symptoms using the Children's Somatization Inventory (CSI) in a nonclinical sample of British young people, and to assess associations with stress and functional impairment.


METHODS
A total of 1,173 students (11- to 16-years old) completed the CSI and self-report psychopathology measures.


RESULTS
The median CSI total score was 12 (5, 23). Headaches, feeling low in energy, sore muscles, faintness, and nausea were most frequent. Girls scored higher than boys, and respondents aged 13-14 years lower than younger children. The CSI showed good internal consistency and exploratory factor analysis yielded three factors: pain/weakness, gastrointestinal, and pseudoneurological. A quarter of respondents reported somatic symptoms were made worse by stress. CSI scores were moderately significantly correlated with impairment and emotional symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
The CSI, complemented by information on functional impairment and stress is an appropriate measure of recent somatic symptoms and somatization risk in young people for use in the UK.
Vila
Mar
M
Imperial College London.
Kramer
Tami
T
Hickey
Nicole
N
Dattani
Meera
M
Jefferis
Helen
H
Singh
Mandeep
M
Garralda
M Elena
ME
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009325:Nausea / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011594:Psychometrics; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires