Somatic symptoms evoked by exam stress in university students: the role of alexithymia, neuroticism, anxiety and depression.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

The etiology of somatization is incompletely understood, but could be elucidated by models of psychosocial stress. Academic exam stress has effectively been applied as a naturalistic stress model, however its effect on somatization symptoms according to ICD-10 and DSM-IV criteria has not been reported so far. Baseline associations between somatization and personality traits, such as alexithymia, have been studied exhaustively. Nevertheless, it is largely unknown if personality traits have an explanatory value for stress induced somatization.

Methods

This longitudinal, quasi-experimental study assessed the effects of university exams on somatization - and the reversal of effects after an exam-free period. Repeated-observations were obtained within 150 students, meas

SUBMITTER: Zunhammer M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3867544 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature