title: Somatic symptoms and holistic thinking as major dimensions behind modern health worries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Modern health worries (MHWs) were related to somatic symptoms and to preference of holistic healing methods in previous studies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The study aimed to investigate the contribution of symptom-related and holism-related factors to MHWs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (visitors of an Internet news portal; N = 16152; 64.1 % males) completed a questionnaire assessing MHWs, somatosensory amplification, somatic symptoms, positive and negative affect, spirituality, holistic health beliefs, and various aspects of health care utilization (both conventional and alternative).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Exploratory factor analysis with oblique rotation revealed two independent dimensions ("Somatic symptom distress" and "Holism") MHWs were involved with factor loadings of 0.294 and 0.417, respectively. The existence of two factors was supported by the results of confirmatory factor analysis. No practically significant interaction between the two factors was found in binary logistic regression analysis. Positive and negative affect, somatosensory amplification, spirituality, and holistic health beliefs were positively connected, while self-rated health status was negatively connected to MHWs even after controlling for socio-demographic and treatment-related variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Holistic thinking and symptom-related behavioral and psychological factors are independently associated with MHWs. Modern health worries can be conceptualized as symptom-related by-products of a holistic-spiritual worldview.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Education and Psychology, Institute for Health Promotion and Sport Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Bogdánfy Ödön u. 10., 1117, Hungary, koteles.ferenc@ppk.elte.hu.
authors.forename: Ferenc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Köteles
authors.forename: Péter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Simor
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003469:Culture; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018777:Multiple Chemical Sensitivity / Q000523:psychology; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D029181:Spirituality; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult