ArticleBMC health services research2021
Somatic symptom disorders and utilization of health services among Palestinian primary health care attendees: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC health services research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Identifying past-year self-reported suicidality in outpatients with somatic symptom disorder using an interpretable machine-learning model: a multicenter study with an online calculator.BMC psychiatry · 2026Observational
- Is loneliness a bridge to digital escape? A path analysis on psychological symptoms and internet addiction.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Psychometric Evaluation of Indonesian Version of the Somatic Symptom Scale-8 (ISSS-8).Journal of caring sciences · 2025Review
- Psychological symptoms and loneliness in unemployed people diagnosed with mental illnesses.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2025Article
- Neurodevelopmental and personality traits of somatic symptom disorder: A cross-sectional study.PCN reports : psychiatry and clinical neurosciences · 2025Article
- Somatic symptom and related disorders in the Arab world: a narrative review of clinical features and care implications.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Review
- Prevalence of depression and anxiety among elderly primary care patients in Palestine.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
- Scoping review update on somatic symptom disorder that includes additional Chinese data.General psychiatry · 2023Article
- Significant Structural Alterations and Functional Connectivity Alterations of Cerebellar Gray Matter in Patients With Somatic Symptom Disorder.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2022Article
- Cyberchondria, but not preventive behavior, mediates the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and somatic burden: Evidence from Russia.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Brief Report: Child Sexual Abuse and Somatic Symptoms in Older Adulthood for Men.Journal of child sexual abuseArticle
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMany primary health care (PHC) clients come in with medically unexplained complaints, leading to frequent consultations and high usage of services and healthcare costs. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of somatic symptom disorder (SSD) among PHC attendees and explore its relation to other mental conditions and risk factors.
methodsA cross-sectional design was used to interview 400 attendees. Men and women aged over 18 years old without a psychiatric diagnosis were invited to participate. The Somatization scale of the Four-Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire was used to assess somatic symptom disorders. It is a valid tool to be used in a PHC setting. We used the Chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression to explore determinant variables.
resultsPrevalence of SSD was 32.5% (95%CI = 27.9-37.1%). The most common symptoms were painful muscles (61.5%) followed by back pain (52.3%). Female gender [adjusted OR = 2.1 (95% CI = 1.2-3.7)], chronic diseases [adjusted OR = 2.4 (95%CI = 1.3-4.5)], depression [adjusted OR = 3.3 (95%CI = 2.0-5.5)], and anxiety [adjusted OR = 2.1 (95%CI = 1.2-3.6)] were all associated with SSD. In addition, frequent primary health care attendance was found to be associated with SSD [adjusted OR = 2.4 (95%CI = 1.4-4.1)].
conclusionsSSD significantly higher among females, patients with chronic diseases, clients with anxiety and depressive disorders, and patients with frequent doctors' visits. Painful muscles and back pain are the most common symptom presented by patients, and this could be used initially by PHC physicians as a signal to consider for screening.
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