Childhood psychologic environmental exposure in women with diagnosed somatoform disorders. A case-control study

Fifty-three female patients with diagnosed somatoform disorders (having pronounced somatic symptoms without objective somatic signs) were studied regarding childhood exposure to death, divorce, serious somatic illness and prolonged pain in members of their core family. Similar registrations were made in a control group of 53 healthy women. The two groups were compared using the case-control method. The results revealed a more frequent exposure in the somatoform disorder patients regarding all four items, and for serious somatic illness and prolonged pains the difference was statistically significant. Further elaboration of the data suggested that exposure to pain in the family was the most important of the studied factors. The findings are thought to demonstrate the environmental etiologic impact on somatoform disorders occasioned by such psychologic exposure as those registered. The possibility of a genetic etiologic implication of the findings is also discussed.