Self-concealment and mindfulness can be viewed as two fairly stable emotion/behavior regulation tendencies, which are often linked to a range of internalizing problems. The current study examined whether low levels of mindfulness and higher levels of self-concealment predict higher levels of depression, anxiety, and somatization for both men and women. An ethnically diverse sample of college un...

BACKGROUND Evidence points toward shared characteristics between female survivors of sexual abuse and women with dyspareunia. This study explored, for the first time, similarities and differences between women who were exposed to sexual abuse to those with dyspareunia, in order to examine whether insecure attachment styles and high somatization level are associated with trauma among women with ...

OBJECTIVE The present study explores the link between reported sexual and/or physical abuse and psychological defense styles, as well as the association of both with psychological distress in adulthood. In two patient samples that differ in psychological distress and somatization, we examine whether the adversities reported and immature defense styles are associated with psychopathological symp...

The present study investigates the somatization symptoms among grammar school students. High school students (N=218) from a convenience sample school were asked to complete The Somatization Scale. Data analysis showed that girls reported somatization symptoms more frequently than boys. The analysis showed that 1.4% of students felt some of the somatic symptoms on a daily basis, while 6.9% of st...

OBJECTIVE Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), one of the most abundant and important neurotrophins, is known to be involved in the development, survival, maintenance, and plasticity of neurons in the nervous system. Some studies have suggested that BDNF may play a role in the pathophysiology of several psychiatric illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia. Similarly, it is likely tha...

The assessment of medically unexplained symptoms and "somatic symptom disorders" in older adults is challenging due to somatic multimorbidity, which threatens the validity of somatization questionnaires. In a systematic review study, the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) and the somatization subscale of the Symptom Checklist 90-item version (SCL-90 SOM) are recommended out of 40 question...

There is no doubt that chronic pain is recognized as a biopsychosocial phenomenon in which biological, psychological, and social factors dynamically interact with each other. Thus, the role of psychological factors and understanding chronic, persistent disabling pain has been well recognized, but poorly understood. Approximately 1/2 to 2/3 of all patients diagnosed with chronic pain manifest to...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the associations between children's perceived chest pain severity, somatization symptoms, depressive symptoms, anxiety sensitivity, and maternal somatization symptoms in children and adolescents with noncardiac chest pain (NCCP). METHODS Measures of chest pain and psychosocial functioning were collected from 35 participants (M age = 12.5 years, 54% female) with NCCP a...

Despite numerous annual bank robberies worldwide, research in the psychological sequelae of bank robberies is sparse and characterized by several limitations. To overcome these limitations we investigated the psychological impact of bank robbery in a cohort study by comparing general levels of traumatization and somatization in employees never exposed to robbery and employees exposed to robbery...

OBJECTIVE Minor illnesses and major diseases are affected by individual, environmental, and social factors. We sought to determine if children's temperament and pain reactivity (individual response styles) measured in kindergarten are related to future health behavior. METHODS Seven-year follow-up measures of health behavior were gathered in 42 children (mean age M = 11 years) who participate...