Somatic and Depressive Symptoms Among Children From Latin America and the English-Speaking Caribbean

The extent to which depression is associated with somatic complaints in children from the English-speaking Caribbean and Latin America is not well established.

We sought to explore the association between depressive and somatic symptoms among children from the English-speaking Caribbean and Latin America, while accounting for age, sex, socioeconomic status, cultural background, and anxiety score.

1541 elementary school children, ages 9-12 years, from the English-speaking Caribbean and Latin America completed the Adolescent Depression Rating Scale (ARDS), the Numeric 0-10 Anxiety Self-Report Scale and the Children's Somatic Symptom Inventory-24 (CSSI-24). T-tests and ANOVA's were used to compare CSSI-24 and ARDS scores among countries, and the CSSI-24 scores of children with (ARDS ≥ 4) and without likely clinically significant depression. Regression analyses assessed possible predictors of CSSI-24 score.

Depressive and somatic symptom scores were highest among the Jamaican children and lowest among the Colombian children (p < .001). Children with likely clinically significant depression exhibited higher mean somatic symptom scores (p < .001). Depressive symptom scores predicted somatic symptom scores (p < .001).

Depressive symptoms were a strong predictor of reporting somatic symptoms. Knowledge of this association may facilitate better recognition of depression among youth.