Functioning and quality of life in patients with somatic symptom disorder: The association with comorbid depression

• Published in: Comprehensive psychiatry Vol. 90; pp. 88 - 94
• Main Authors: Liao, Shih-Cheng, Ma, Huei-Mei, Lin, Yi-Ling, Huang, Wei-Lieh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.04.2019; Elsevier Limited; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Anxiety; Apgar score; Cognitive style; Comorbidity; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression - diagnosis; Depression - epidemiology; Depression - psychology; Female; Hospitals; Humans; Male; Medically Unexplained Symptoms; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Middle Aged; Pain; Personality; Psychological aspects; Quality of life; Quality of Life - psychology; Questionnaires; Self Report; Surveys and Questionnaires; Taiwan - epidemiology; Taiwan
• ISSN: 0010-440X; 1532-8384
• DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2019.02.004

Patients with somatic symptoms often have impaired functioning and reduced quality of life (QOL), but the factors identified as responsible for these impairments vary between studies. We examined functioning and QOL in patients with somatic symptom disorder (SSD), exploring their associations with demographic factors, personality traits and psychological features. The sample comprised 107 SSD patients and 100 healthy controls. Several types of self-report instrument were administered. Group differences were assessed with independent t-tests. We used multiple linear regression to examine relationships between the independent variables and functioning and QOL. Finally, we used structural equation modeling (SEM) to perform path analysis and examine the fit of a model based on the earlier results. Most function scores were lower in SSD patients than in healthy controls. In SSD patients overall WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) score was correlated with exercise level and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) score. There were also associations between Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) score and age, novelty seeking, Cognitions About Body and Health Questionnaire (CABAH) score and BDI-II score. Family APGAR score was only related to BDI-II score. Path analysis revealed that BDI-II score was related to all three indices of functioning. Depression is associated with functioning and QOL in SSD patients. The Research Ethics Committee of National Taiwan University National Taiwan University Hospital approved this study (approval number: 201507007RINB). •Somatic symptom disorder (SSD) patients had lower quality of life (QOL) than healthy individuals.•General functioning and family functioning in SSD patients were also worse than in healthy ones.•In SSD patients, functioning and QOL were significantly associated with depression but not with somatic distress or health anxiety.•The severity of depression, but not the severity of SSD, distinguished between SSD patients with different functioning and QOL levels.•Functioning and QOL were associated with cognition about health, exercise, harm avoidance, novelty seeking, and age in SSD subjects.