Functional Somatic Disorders, Their Subtypes, and Their Association With Self-Rated Health in the German General Population

Bibliographic Data

ID19306359
AuthorsHeribert Sattel (0000-0001-5378-4628, University of Applied Sciences Mainz, corresponding author), Walter Hauser (0000-0002-3742-729X, University of Applied Sciences Mainz), Winfried Häuser, Bjarne Schmalbach (0000-0001-6853-412X, University of Applied Sciences Mainz), E Brähler (0000-0002-2648-2728, University of Applied Sciences Mainz), Peter Henningsen (0000-0003-2060-1279, University of Applied Sciences Mainz), Constanze Hausteiner-Wiehle, Constanze Hausteiner‐Wiehle (University of Applied Sciences Mainz)
Year2023
Volume85
Issue4
Pages366-375
Publication date2023-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePsychosomatic Medicine (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-3174 • E-ISSN: 1534-7796
PublisherOvid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1097/psy.0000000000001187
PMID36917486
OpenAlexW4324128782
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited36

OBJECTIVE: The heterogeneous conceptualizations and classifications of persistent and troublesome physical symptoms impede their adequate clinical management. Functional somatic disorder (FSD) is a recently suggested interface concept that is etiologically neutral and allows for dysfunctional psychobehavioral characteristics as well as somatic comorbidity. However, its prevalence and impact are not yet known. METHODS: We analyzed 2379 participants (mean age = 48.3 years, 52.5% female) from a representative German community survey using operationalized FSD criteria. These criteria defined FSD types based on somatic symptom count, type, and severity assessed by the Bodily Distress Syndrome Checklist. In addition, the associations of those types with health concerns, comorbidity, psychological distress, and self-rated health were determined. RESULTS: There were four clearly demarcated groups with no relevant bothering symptoms, with one or with few bothering symptoms from one organ system, and with multiple bothering symptoms from at least two organ systems. Psychological distress, health concerns, and comorbidity steadily increased, and self-rated health decreased according to the number and severity of symptoms. Somatic symptom burden, health concerns, and comorbidity independently predicted self-rated health, with no interaction effect between the latter two. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support an FSD concept with two severity grades according to persistent and troublesome symptoms in one versus more organ systems. The delimitation of subtypes with psychobehavioral characteristics and/or with somatic comorbidity seems useful, while still allowing the demarcation of a group of participants with high symptom burden but without those additional characteristics

Checklist · Comorbidity · Distress · Dysfunctional family · Psychiatry · Clinical Psychology · Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research · Medicine · Personality Disorders and Psychopathology · Psychology · Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments

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