Life stress and somatic symptoms among adolescents: gender as moderator.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of life stress on somatic symptoms of adolescents and to explore the moderating role of gender. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from September to December 2014 at secondary schools located in Islamabad, Pakistan. Data was collected by administering self-reported measures on a sample of adolescents including both males and females. SPSS 21 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of the 663 participants, 228(34.4%) were girls and 435(65.6%) were boys. The overall mean age was 15.27±1.20 years (range 12-16 years). There was a significant positive correlation between the experience of life stress and somatic symptoms among adolescents (p<0.01). The prevalence of somatic symptoms was 431(65.10%) among the adolescents who experienced school-related stressors. Gender was a significant moderator and the interaction effect of gender and life stress was significant (p<0.05). Female adolescents had higher level of life stress and experienced more somatic symptoms compared to male adolescents (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Life stress was found to be an important indicator of somatic complaints in adolescents, with greater risk for girls as compared to boys.