Relationships of somatic symptoms to behavioral and emotional risk in young adolescents

Junior high students (n=1508) from a midwestern community completed a health behavioral questionnaire that asked the frequency of headache and abdominal pain and of a number of behavioral and emotional risk indicators. Headache (24%) and abdominal pain (13%) were frequently reported among these young adolescents, particularly among girls. Those reporting frequent somatic complaints also reported significantly more behavioral and emotional symptoms indicative of risk (p<0.001). Further, the interaction between somatic complaint and gender significantly affected risk status (p<0.01). This interaction was greater with behavioral risk: boys with both abdominal pain and headaches reported higher behavioral risk than all other groups (p<0.0001). Somatic symptoms continued to account for a significant amount of variance in behavioral risk after the effects of emotional risk and age were removed. This suggests that behavioral risk and emotional risk are independently associated with somatic complaints. The evaluation of persistent somatic complaints in adolescents, particularly in boys with abdominal symptoms, should include careful examination of emotional risk factors and other health-endangering behaviors such as substance use, early sexual activity, and delinquency.