IDRP - Academic Publishing
IDRP - Academic Publishing
Individual Differences Research > Volume 22 (2024) > e22002
Do We Think Ourselves Sick? Psychological Processes and Health Behaviors Associated with Adolescents’ Somatic Complaints
Sigurlina Davidsdottir
Abstract
The effects of psychological variables as measured by health hardiness, life orientation, perceived stress, Type A behavior, anxiety, and attributional style were contrasted with lifestyle as measured by alcoholism, smoking, exercise for their association with somatic complaints. The sample consisted of 105 psychology undergraduate students in a midwestern university. Psychological processes were better predictors of somatic complaints than lifestyle. A statistically significant association was found between somatic complaints and the following psychological processes: pessimism, Type A, perceived stress, anxiety, and global explanatory style for bad events. Health control and health challenge were negatively correlated with somatic complaints. Psychological variables explained 40% of the variance in somatic complaints, but lifestyle variables had little association with such complaints.
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Keywords
Somatic complaints;
Perceived stress;
Type A behavior pattern;
Anxiety;
Attributional style;
Health hardiness;
Lifestyle factors