Somatic Complaints in Anxious Youth

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-1-2014

Abstract

This study examined (a) demographic and clinical characteristics associated with physical symptoms in anxiety-disordered youth and (b) the impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy (Coping Cat), medication (sertraline), their combination, and pill placebo on physical symptoms. Youth (N = 488, ages 7-17 years) with a principal diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, or social phobia participated as part of a multi-site, randomized controlled trial and received treatment delivered over 12 weeks. Diagnostic status, symptom severity, and impairment were assessed at baseline and week 12. The total number and severity of physical symptoms was associated with age, principal diagnosis, anxiety severity, impairment, and the presence of comorbid internalizing disorders. Common somatic complaints were headaches, stomachaches, head cold or sniffles, sleeplessness, and feeling drowsy or too sleepy. Physical symptoms decreased over the course of treatment, and were unrelated to treatment condition. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00052078).

Publication Title

Child Psychiatry and Human Development

Volume

45

Issue

4

First Page

398

Last Page

407

PubMed ID

24129543

Comments

This article was published in Child Psychiatry and Human Development, Volume 45, Number 4, August 2014, Pages 398-407.

The published version is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10578-013-0410-x

Copyright 2014 © Springer, Part of Springer Science+Business Media

This document is currently not available here.

COinS