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The Somatic Complaint List: validation of a self-report questionnaire assessing somatic complaints in children

Francine C Jellesma1, Carolien Rieffe, Mark Meerum Terwogt

  • 1Developmental Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands. fjellesma@fsw.leidenuniv.nl

Journal of Psychosomatic Research
|October 2, 2007
PubMed

Insights

The Somatic Complaint List (SCL) effectively assesses childhood somatic complaints. This validated tool shows good psychometric properties and stability in school-aged children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Psychology
  • Child Psychiatry
  • Psychometrics

Background:

  • Somatic complaints are common in school-aged children.
  • Validated tools are needed to accurately assess these complaints.
  • The Somatic Complaint List (SCL) is a potential instrument for this purpose.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the psychometric properties and validity of the Somatic Complaint List (SCL) in children.
  • To assess the stability of the SCL over a six-month period.
  • To compare the SCL with the Children's Somatization Inventory (CSI-C).

Main Methods:

  • Administered the SCL, CSI-C, and Mood Questionnaire to 717 fourth and fifth graders.
  • Parents completed the CSI-C parental form (CSI-P).
  • Assessed SCL and CSI-C stability and validity through correlations at baseline and six months.

Main Results:

  • The SCL demonstrated good psychometric properties and stability.
  • Correlations with CSI-C, negative moods, and CSI-P supported the SCL's validity.
  • The SCL showed stronger associations with negative moods and parental reports than the CSI-C.

Conclusions:

  • The Somatic Complaint List (SCL) is a suitable and reliable questionnaire for assessing somatic complaints in school-aged children.
  • The SCL offers a valuable tool for clinicians and researchers in pediatric settings.
  • Findings support the use of the SCL in clinical practice and research for childhood somatic complaints.
Abstract

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