RecruitingNCT05666921

Alexithymia and Attachment Style in Patients With Somatic Symptoms

Somatic Symptoms, Alexithymia and Styles of Attachment: a Cross-sectional Study

Sponsor

Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS

Enrollment

300 participants

Start Date

Jun 15, 2021

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Conditions

Somatic Symptom Disorder

Summary

To evaluate whether emotional awareness, attachment style and the ability to abstract and symbolize (IQ) influence the appearance of somatic symptoms. Hypothesis: the investigators expect the presence of somatic symptoms linked to the lower ability of emotional awareness, to lower ability to abstract and symbolize and to an insecure attachment style.

Eligibility

Min Age: 11 YearsMax Age: 17 Years

Inclusion Criteria7

Clinical condition characterized by somatic symptoms such as recurrent abdominal pain, recurrent vomiting, dyspepsia, psychogenic cough, and chronic functional pain (headache, migraine, musculoskeletal pain) for which an organic cause has been excluded and whose symptom has had a strong impact on the quality of life (presence of the symptom for six months, school absenteeism, social isolation, immobility, psychological distress, difficulty in participating in sports and extracurricular activities, etc.), as per Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria.
Age between 11 and 17 years
Italian speaking
Patients' and parents' consent
Age between 11 and 17 years
Adequate knowledge of the Italian language
Consent to participate

Exclusion Criteria8

Cognitive and/or developmental impairment
Difficulty in understanding the Italian language
Presence of organic disease diagnosis
Lack of informed consent
Patient who does not meet DSM-5 criteria for somatic symptom disorder
Cognitive deficits
Difficulty in understanding the Italian language
Lack of informed consent

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Interventions

OTHERpsychological assessment

The intervention consists in the assessment of some psychological aspects (emotional awareness, attachment style and the ability to abstract and symbolize (IQ)) of pediatric patients who present with somatic symptom disorders. , through specific tests. Each patient fills out the test battery during the psychological consult. At the same time, it is involved a parent to collect personal and clinical data through an ad hoc questionnaire.