Somatic Expression of Psychological Problems (Somatization): Examination with Structural Equation Model

Abstract

The main purpose of the research is to define which psychological symptoms (somatization, depression, obsessive-compulsive, hostility, interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation and psychoticism) cause somatic reactions at most. Total effect of thesepsychologicalsymptoms on somatic symptoms had beeninvestigated. Study was carried out with structural equation model to research the relation between the psychological symptoms and somatization. The main material of the research is formed by the data obtained from 492 people. SCL-90-R scale was used in order to obtain the data. As a result of the structural equation analysis, it has been found that 1) Psychoticism, phobic anxiety, and paranoid ideation do not predict somatic symptoms. 2) There is a negative relation between interpersonal sensitivity level and somatic reactions. 3) Anxietysymptoms had been found as causative to occurthe highest level of somatic reactions.