Patterns of internalizing symptoms and disability functioning in children and adolescents

Area of Science:

• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Developmental Psychology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Limited understanding of co-occurring somatic, depressive, and anxiety symptoms in youth.
• Understudied functional disability associated with somatic symptoms alongside mental health conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate co-occurrence patterns of somatic, depressive, and anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents.
• To examine functional disability related to somatic symptoms across different symptom severity levels.

Main Methods:

• Two-step cluster analysis to identify symptom patterns.
• ANCOVA to assess functional disability, controlling for gender and age.
• Utilized validated instruments: Children Somatization Inventory-24, Children Depression Inventory, Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders, Functional Disability Inventory.

Main Results:

• A four-cluster solution emerged, categorizing participants based on somatic, depressive, and anxiety symptom levels.
• Significant differences were observed between clusters regarding gender and age.
• Individuals in the 'High somatic symptoms and high depression/anxiety' cluster reported the greatest functional disability.

Conclusions:

• Children and adolescents with high levels of somatic, depressive, and anxiety symptoms experience greater functional disability.
• Findings underscore the complex interplay between physical and mental health symptoms in youth.
• Integrated assessment and treatment are crucial for addressing functional impairments in this population.