Somatic Symptoms, Peer and School Stress, and Family and Community Violence Exposure Among Urban Elementary School Children

Overview

Journal J Behav Med

Specialty Social Sciences

Date 2012 Jul 10

PMID 22772584

Citations 13

Authors

Shayla L Hart

Stacy C Hodgkinson

Harolyn M E Belcher

Corine Hyman

Michele Cooley-Strickland

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Somatic symptoms are a common physical response to stress and illness in childhood. This study assessed 409, primarily African American (85.6 %), urban elementary school children to examine the association between: (1) somatic symptoms and potential external stressors (school and peer stress, family conflict, and community violence) and (2) parent and child agreement on children's self-report of somatic symptoms. The odds of self-report of somatic complaints were significantly associated with family conflict, school and peer stress, and community violence exposure (OR = 1.26, 95 % CI: 1.05-1.50; OR = 1.18, 95 % CI 1.08-1.28; and OR = 1.02, 95 % CI: 1.00-1.05, respectively). Identifying the associations between social, family, and community based stress and somatic symptoms may improve the quality of life for children living in urban environments through early identification and treatment.

Citing Articles

Changes in Youth Mental Health Following a School Lockdown due to Violent and Firearm-Related Threats.

Hullenaar K, Fisher B, Zatzick D, Rivara F J Sch Health. 2025; 95(2):134-141.

PMID: 39746839 PMC: 11750594. DOI: 10.1111/josh.13530.

Discordance between Adolescents and Parents in Functional Somatic Symptom Reports: Sex Differences and Future Symptom Prevalence.

Hogendoorn E, Ballering A, van Dijk M, Rosmalen J, Burke S J Youth Adolesc. 2023; 52(10):2182-2195.

PMID: 37354312 PMC: 10371884. DOI: 10.1007/s10964-023-01810-w.

Associations of Co-occurring Symptom Trajectories With Sex, Race, Ethnicity, and Health Care Utilization in Children.

Voepel-Lewis T, Senger-Carpenter T, Chen B, Seng J, Cofield C, Ploutz-Snyder R JAMA Netw Open. 2023; 6(5):e2314135.

PMID: 37200032 PMC: 10196876. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.14135.

The Role of the Mind-Body Connection in Children with Food Reactions and Identified Adversity: Implications for Integrating Stress Management and Resilience Strategies in Clinical Practice.

Lee O, Mascarenhas M, Miccio R, Brown-Whitehorn T, Dean A, Erlichman J Children (Basel). 2023; 10(3).

PMID: 36980121 PMC: 10047561. DOI: 10.3390/children10030563.

Breaking up with my idol: A qualitative study of the psychological adaptation process of renouncing fanship.

He Y, Sun Y Front Psychol. 2023; 13:1030470.

PMID: 36591090 PMC: 9803266. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1030470.

References

Bailey B, Delaney-Black V, Hannigan J, Ager J, Sokol R, Covington C . Somatic complaints in children and community violence exposure. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2005; 26(5):341-8. DOI: 10.1097/00004703-200510000-00001. View

Dhossche D, Ferdinand R, van der Ende J, Verhulst F . Outcome of self-reported functional-somatic symptoms in a community sample of adolescents. Ann Clin Psychiatry. 2002; 13(4):191-9. DOI: 10.1023/a:1014686318060. View

Ginsburg G, Riddle M, Davies M . Somatic symptoms in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2006; 45(10):1179-1187. DOI: 10.1097/01.chi.0000231974.43966.6e. View

Yeh M, Weisz J . Why are we here at the clinic? Parent-child (dis)agreement on referral problems at outpatient treatment entry. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2002; 69(6):1018-25. DOI: 10.1037//0022-006x.69.6.1018. View

Deardorff J, Gonzales N, Sandler I . Control beliefs as a mediator of the relation between stress and depressive symptoms among inner-city adolescents. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2003; 31(2):205-17. DOI: 10.1023/a:1022582410183. View

Rey J, Schrader E . Parent-child agreement on children's behaviours reported by the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL). J Adolesc. 1992; 15(3):219-30. DOI: 10.1016/0140-1971(92)90026-2. View

Jellesma F, Rieffe C, Meerum Terwogt M . My peers, my friend, and I: peer interactions and somatic complaints in boys and girls. Soc Sci Med. 2008; 66(11):2195-205. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.01.029. View

Ramchandani P, Stein A, Hotopf M, Wiles N . Early parental and child predictors of recurrent abdominal pain at school age: results of a large population-based study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2006; 45(6):729-736. DOI: 10.1097/01.chi.0000215329.35928.e0. View

Hughes A, Lourea-Waddell B, Kendall P . Somatic complaints in children with anxiety disorders and their unique prediction of poorer academic performance. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2007; 39(2):211-20. DOI: 10.1007/s10578-007-0082-5. View

10.

Pihlakoski L, Sourander A, Aromaa M, Rautava P, Helenius H, Sillanpaa M . The continuity of psychopathology from early childhood to preadolescence: a prospective cohort study of 3-12-year-old children. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2006; 15(7):409-17. DOI: 10.1007/s00787-006-0548-1. View

11.

Masi G, Favilla L, Millepiedi S, Mucci M . Somatic symptoms in children and adolescents referred for emotional and behavioral disorders. Psychiatry. 2000; 63(2):140-9. DOI: 10.1080/00332747.2000.11024905. View

12.

Francis D . Conceptualizing child health disparities: a role for developmental neurogenomics. Pediatrics. 2009; 124 Suppl 3:S196-202. PMC: 2952350. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2009-1100G. View

13.

Cooley-Strickland M, Griffin R, Darney D, Otte K, Ko J . Urban African American youth exposed to community violence: a school-based anxiety preventive intervention efficacy study. J Prev Interv Community. 2011; 39(2):149-66. PMC: 3080109. DOI: 10.1080/10852352.2011.556573. View

14.

Ulrikka Rask C, Olsen E, Elberling H, Christensen M, Ornbol E, Fink P . Functional somatic symptoms and associated impairment in 5-7-year-old children: the Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000. Eur J Epidemiol. 2009; 24(10):625-34. DOI: 10.1007/s10654-009-9366-3. View

15.

Bursch B, Lester P, Jiang L, Rotheram-Borus M, Weiss R . Psychosocial predictors of somatic symptoms in adolescents of parents with HIV: a six-year longitudinal study. AIDS Care. 2008; 20(6):667-76. PMC: 2864225. DOI: 10.1080/09540120701687042. View

16.

Williams P, Colder C, Richards M, Scalzo C . The role of self-assessed health in the relationship between gender and depressive symptoms among adolescents. J Pediatr Psychol. 2002; 27(6):509-17. DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/27.6.509. View

17.

Riggs S, Sahl G, Greenwald E, Atkison H, Paulson A, Ross C . Family environment and adult attachment as predictors of psychopathology and personality dysfunction among inpatient abuse survivors. Violence Vict. 2007; 22(5):577-600. DOI: 10.1891/088667007782312159. View

18.

Grant K, McCormick A, Poindexter L, Simpkins T, Janda C, Thomas K . Exposure to violence and parenting as mediators between poverty and psychological symptoms in urban African American adolescents. J Adolesc. 2005; 28(4):507-21. DOI: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2004.12.001. View

19.

Cooley M, Turner S, Beidel D . Assessing community violence: the children's report of exposure to violence. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1995; 34(2):201-8. DOI: 10.1097/00004583-199502000-00015. View

20.

Bland J, Altman D . Statistical methods for assessing agreement between two methods of clinical measurement. Lancet. 1986; 1(8476):307-10. View