ArticlePloS one2017
A comprehensive approach to understand somatic symptoms and their impact on emotional and psychosocial functioning in children.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05666921 (Somatic Symptoms, Alexithymia and Styles of Attachment), which is not on this map. Cited by 20 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Somatic Symptoms, Alexithymia and Styles of Attachment: a Cross-sectional Study
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 43 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health Outcomes in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Pooled it
- Psychosocial Factors Affecting Parental Report of Symptoms in Children: A Systematic Review.Psychosomatic medicinePooled it
- Healthcare utilisation patterns for paediatric functional somatic symptom presentation: a 3-year retrospective analysis.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Bodily experiences in multiple sclerosis: functional neurological symptoms, body image dissatisfaction, and disordered eating behaviors. A narrative review.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
- Vagally Mediated Heart Rate Variability and Attachment-Related Avoidance in Pediatric Migraine: A Mediated Pathway to Somatic Symptoms Severity.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Associations between emotional awareness deficits and somatic symptoms in a community and clinical populations: a cross-sectional study.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- Autistic Traits and Somatic Symptom Disorders: What Is the Link?Brain sciences · 2024Review
- Climate change and extreme weather disasters: evacuation stress is associated with youths' somatic complaints.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- Somatic, Emotional and Behavioral Symptomatology in Children during COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Children's and Parents' Alexithymia.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Patterns of internalizing symptoms and disability functioning in children and adolescents.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2022Article
- Functional Somatic Symptoms and Emotion Regulation in Children and Adolescents.Clinical psychology in Europe · 2022Article
- Childhood maltreatment and its role in the development of pain and psychopathology.The Lancet. Child & adolescent health · 2022Review
- The Prevalence of Internet Addiction and Its Relationship with Mental Health Among High School Students in Bushehr, Iran (2018).International journal of preventive medicine · 2022Article
- Self- and Parent-Reported Psychological Symptoms in Young Cancer Survivors and Control Peers: Results from a Clinical Center.Journal of clinical medicine · 2020Article
- Alexithymic Traits and Somatic Symptoms in Children and Adolescents: a Screening Approach to Explore the Mediation Role of Depression.The Psychiatric quarterly · 2020Article
- Patterns of somatic distress among internally displaced persons in Ukraine: analysis of a cross-sectional survey.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2019Article
- Exploring Traits of Autism and Their Impact on Functional Disability in Children with Somatic Symptom Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2019Article
- Italian validation of the Children's Shyness Questionnaire: Exploring associations between shyness and psychosocial functioning.PloS one · 2019Article
- Relationship between Pain, Somatisation, and Emotional Awareness in Primary School Children.Pain research and treatment · 2018Article
- The Role of Difficulty in Identifying and Describing Feelings in Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Behavior (NSSI): Associations With Perceived Attachment Quality, Stressful Life Events, and Suicidal Ideation.Frontiers in psychology · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionSomatic symptoms are frequently reported by children with significant impairment in functioning. Despite studies on adult populations that suggest somatic symptoms often co-occur with difficulties in identifying and describing feelings, little research has been done in childhood. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and frequency of somatic symptoms as well as to investigate the functional impairment in children with high number of self reported somatic symptoms versus those with fewer somatic symptoms. Additionally the parental perception of their children's somatic symptoms and functioning was explored. Finally, we explored the direct and indirect effects of difficulties in identifying feelings in predicting somatic symptoms and functional disability among school-aged children.
methods356 Italian school-aged children and their mothers participated in this study. Children (mean age = 11.43; SD = 2.41) completed the Children's Somatization Inventory (CSI-24) to assess somatic symptoms, the Functional Disability Inventory (FDI) to assess physical and psychosocial functioning and the Alexithymia Questionnaire for Children (AQC) to evaluate alexithymic features. Mothers completed the parental forms of the CSI and the FDI.
resultsAmong children, 66.3% did not declare somatic symptoms and 33.7% reported one or more somatic symptoms in the last two weeks. A significant positive correlation emerged between children's and mothers' CSI total scores. Both children's and mothers' FDI total scores were significantly correlated with CSI scores. A significant correlation was observed between somatic symptoms and alexithymic features. Furthermore, the data showed that somatic symptoms mediated the relationship between difficulties in identifying feelings and functional impairment. Finally, it was showed that alexithymia facet of difficulty in identifying feelings contributed in large part to the prediction of the somatic symptomatology (b = 0.978, p < 0.001; R2 = 0.164, F(5, 350) = 10.32, p < 0.001).
conclusionsFindings from this study provide evidence that a higher frequency of somatic symptoms is associated with functional disabilities and alexithymic facets in school-aged children.
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