title: Somatoform disorders and trauma in medically-admitted children, adolescents, and young adults: prevalence rates and psychosocial characteristics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to describe past traumatic experiences in medically-admitted pediatric and young adult patients diagnosed with somatoform disorders and to explore the demographic, diagnostic, and psychosocial differences between those with and without trauma histories.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective medical record reviews were performed for patients (aged 3-29 years) seen by the Psychiatry Consultation Service (2010-2011) at a pediatric medical hospital and diagnosed with a somatoform disorder. Clinical data collected included demographics, medical history, current physical symptoms, psychiatric diagnoses and history, trauma history, coping styles, family psychiatric and medical history, peer and family factors, psychiatric disposition after discharge, and service utilization.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the 180 identified patients was 15.1 years. Most patients were girls (75.0%) and White (71.7%). Somatoform diagnoses were primarily pain (51.4%) and conversion disorders (28.9%). Rates of trauma were similar to national norms (29.7%). Trauma history did not correlate with age, sex, race, income, length of hospitalization, or type of somatoform disorders. However, patients with trauma histories had significantly higher rates of psychiatric comorbidities (76.0% vs. 50.8%), past psychiatric treatment (81.1% vs. 59.1%), parent mental illness (69.8% vs. 38.6%), and family conflict (52.8% vs. 37.0%) and were more likely to require inpatient psychiatric hospitalization on discharge (18.9% vs. 6.3%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prevalence of trauma in a sample of medically-admitted pediatric and young adult patients with somatoform diagnoses was similar to national norms. However, patients with a history of trauma had unique psychiatric and psychosocial profiles compared to those without a history of trauma.
authors.affiliation: Boston Children׳s Hospital, Boston, MA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Electronic address: katharine.thomson@childrens.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Katharine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.affiliation: Boston Children׳s Hospital, Boston, MA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Edin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Randall
authors.affiliation: Boston Children׳s Hospital, Boston, MA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ibeziako
authors.affiliation: Boston Children׳s Hospital, Boston, MA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: I Simona
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Bujoreanu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011584:Psychology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult