title: Relationship between life events and psychosomatic complaints during adolescence/youth: a structural equation model approach.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the contribution of life events (LEs) on psychosomatic complaints in adolescents/youths taking into account a set of socioeconomic variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  We tested a conceptual model implemented with structural equation modeling on longitudinal data from a representative sample of adolescents/youths and parents. Psychosomatic complaints were measured by the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children scale and hypothesized to be affected by: (a) contextual factors at distal level: financial resources, home life and social support (KIDSCREEN), and parent baseline mental health (SF-12); (b) triggering factors: LEs (Coddington Life Events Scales, with two typologies: desirability and familiarity); (c) intermediate factors: same as distal level but measured at follow-up; (d) immediate cause: mental health at proximal level (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire at baseline and follow-up); and (e) gender.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The structural model yielded a good fit (Comparative Fit Index = .95, Tucker-Lewis Index = .93, Root Mean Square Error = .04). Boys showed more psychosomatic complaints than girls (β = .40, p < .05). Girls reported experiencing more LEs (p < .05). Only undesirable LEs showed a significant direct negative effect on psychosomatic complaints, which became nonsignificant when mediated by home life and mental health. Undesirable LEs had a remaining indirect effects on psychosomatic complaints (βindirect = -.10, p < .05) via Home Life and Mental health, which were protective factors (β = .41 and β = -.15, p < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The experience of undesirable LEs increases the probability of psychosomatic complaints, but the final effect would be determined by previous levels of home life and mental health stability.
authors.affiliation: CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Ester
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Villalonga-Olives
authors.forename: Carlos G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Forero
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Erhart
authors.forename: Jorge A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Palacio-Vieira
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Valderas
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Herdman
authors.forename: Montserrat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrer
authors.forename: Luís
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rajmil
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ravens-Sieberer
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alonso
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors