Emotional Problems and Somatic Complaints in Children
Francine Jellesma1, Carolien Rieffe1, & Mark Meerum Terwogt2
1 2VU
Leiden University University, The Netherlands
Correspondence: FJellesma@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
Introduction
It is generally recognized that psychological factors are related to children’s health status. Especially emotional problems seem to have an adverse effect on children’s health. However, little is known about the strength of the relationship between children’s emotional functioning and health complaints in time. The purpose of this study was twofold. First of all, the aim was to determine the predictive value of emotional problems on children’s somatic complaints. The second aim of this study was to analyze whether the predictive value of the information on children’s emotional functioning is influenced by whether the children provide this information themselves or whether parents report on their children’s emotional functioning.
Measurements
Positive and negative moods Children: Mood Questionnaire (Rieffe et al., 2006) Parents: Mood Questionnaire (Rieffe et al., 2006) Symptoms of emotional problems Children: Children’s Depression Inventory (Kovacs, 1992) & NonProductive Thoughts Questionnaire Children (assessing thoughts that reflect worry or rumination; Jellesma et al., 2005) Parents: Emotional Problems subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 2001) Social avoidance and distress in peer contact Children: General Social Avoidance and Distress subscale of the Social Anxiety Scale for Children- Revised (La Greca & Stone, 1993) Parents: Peer Problems subscales of Goodman’s SDQ
Method
Participants and Procedure
Two waves of questionnaire data were collected using a sample of 409 children and their parents, ∆T=6 months. Out of this group, children scoring within the 10th (14 girls and 27 boys) and 90th percentile (19 girls and 22 boys) on somatic complaints at T=2 were selected for classification analysis that was based on their emotional functioning at T=1. Both groups had an average age of 10, SD=9 months.
Statistical Analysis
Children’s self reports and parental reports were analyzed separately. Multivariate analyses of variance were conducted comparing the two groups on all indicators of emotional problems. Subsequently, discriminant analyses were employed to identify the percentage of children that could be correctly identified on the basis of the reported emotional problems.
Results
Children’s Emotional Functioning 6 months prior to assessment of somatic complaints
2 2
Children´s self-report: all group differences are significant (α=.05)
many somatic complaints few somatic complaints
Discriminant Function Analysis
1.5 1.5
1 1
Correctly classified: 84.1%
Cross-validated: 79.3% Wilks’ λ=.53, χ2(8, N=82)=48.03, p < .01
0.5 0 .5
0
positive mood
negative mood
depression
non-productive thoughts
social avoidance & distress
2 2
Parents about their children: no significant group differences
many somatic complaints few somatic complaints
1.5 1.5
Correctly classified: 65.9%
Cross-validated: 51.2% Wilks’ λ=.89, χ2(7, N=82)=8.98, p=.25
11 0.5 0 .5 0 0 positive mood negative mood emotional problems social avoidance & distress
Conclusion
The results indicate that the presence of somatic complaints in children can quite often be predicted by the child’s emotional functioning months beforehand: children reporting many somatic complaints experienced less positive moods, more negative moods and emotional problems and more distress in peer contact 6 months earlier. However, parental information about children’s emotional functioning was not predictive of children’s somatic complaints. These findings stress the importance of children’s self-reports concerning internalizing problems.
References Jellesma, F.C., Meerum Terwogt, M., Reijntjes, A., Rieffe, C. & Stegge, H. (2005).De vragenlijst Non-Productieve Denkprocessen voor Kinderen (NPDK): Piekeren en Rumineren [Non-Productive Thoughts Questionnaire Children; Worry and Rumination], Kind en Adolescent, 26, 368-378. Goodman, R. (2001). Psychometric properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 1337-1345 Kovacs, M. (1992). Children's depression inventory manual.Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services. La Greca. A.M. & Stone, W.L (1993). The social anxiety scale for children - revised: Factor structure and concurrent validity. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 22, 17-27. Rieffe, C., Oosterveld, P., & Meerum Terwogt, M. (2006). An alexithymia questionnaire for children: Factorial and concurrent validation results. Personality and Individual Differences, 40, 123-133.