Aragona Massimiliano, Tarsitani Lorenzo, Colosimo Francesco, Martinelli Barbara, Raad Hassan, Maisano Bianca, Geraci Salvatore
"Caritas" Health Service Network, Rome, Italy.
Int J Psychiatry Med. 2005;35(3):241-8. doi: 10.2190/2G8N-MNNE-PGGP-PJJQ.
Those responsible for interviewing immigrants in primary care settings often underestimate the importance of somatic symptoms arising from psychological distress. This study investigates the current prevalence of somatization in immigrants, and evaluates the comparative rates of somatic complaints in four ethnic groups (Caucasians, Asians, South/Center Americans, and Africans).
We studied the 301 consecutive outpatients (aged between 16 and 70 years) attending the "Caritas" primary care unit for immigrants in Rome (Italy) from January to December 2003, all of whom completed the 21-item version of the Bradford Somatic Inventory (BSI-21). Patients scoring 14 or more on the BSI-21 were considered at risk for somatization.
The current prevalence of somatization was 35.2%; 62.3% of the somatizers were women. A multiple regression analysis adjusting for the possible confounding effects of sex, age, education, and months of stay in Italy showed that South/Central Americans had significantly higher somatization scores than the other three groups.
These findings suggest a high probability of somatization syndromes in immigrant patients. South/Central Americans tend to somatize more than other ethnic groups. A psychosomatic approach may be useful for immigrants in primary care settings.
在基层医疗环境中负责对移民进行问诊的人员常常低估心理困扰引发的躯体症状的重要性。本研究调查了移民中躯体化的当前患病率，并评估了四个种族群体（白种人、亚洲人、南美/中美洲人以及非洲人）躯体不适主诉的对比发生率。
我们研究了2003年1月至12月期间在意大利罗马“明爱”移民基层医疗单位就诊的301名连续门诊患者（年龄在16至70岁之间），他们均完成了21项版本的布拉德躯体量表（BSI - 21）。在BSI - 21上得分14分及以上的患者被视为有躯体化风险。
躯体化的当前患病率为35.2%；62.3%的躯体化患者为女性。一项针对性别、年龄、教育程度以及在意大利停留月数可能产生的混杂效应进行调整的多元回归分析显示，南美/中美洲人的躯体化得分显著高于其他三个群体。
这些发现表明移民患者中出现躯体化综合征的可能性很高。南美/中美洲人比其他种族群体更容易出现躯体化。心身治疗方法可能对基层医疗环境中的移民有用。
