Labott S M, Preisman R C, Torosian T, Popovich J, Iannuzzi M C
Department of Psychology (Mailcode 6502), Southern Illinois University, Carbondale 62901, USA.
Psychosomatics. 1996 Jul-Aug;37(4):327-38. doi: 10.1016/S0033-3182(96)71545-1.
Somatizing patients present a history of vague, unexplained medical symptoms. This study compared somatizing patients with pulmonary control subjects by using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS-III-R), the Illness Attitude Scales (IAS), and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2). The groups differed in the number of somatization symptoms reported and in the frequency of somatization disorder diagnoses when the screening criteria were used. The somatizing group obtained higher scores on the bodily preoccupation and hypochondriacal beliefs subscales of the IAS; no differences were found on the MMPI-2. These findings indicate that the DSM-III-R somatization screening items can be useful for detecting somatization when patients present with unexplained respiratory complaints.
