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Somatic symptoms, peer and school stress, and family and community violence exposure among urban elementary school children

Abstract  

Somatic symptoms are a common physical response to stress and illness in childhood. This study assessed 409, primarily African
American (85.6 %), urban elementary school children to examine the association between: (1) somatic symptoms and potential
external stressors (school and peer stress, family conflict, and community violence) and (2) parent and child agreement on
children’s self-report of somatic symptoms. The odds of self-report of somatic complaints were significantly associated with
family conflict, school and peer stress, and community violence exposure (OR = 1.26, 95 % CI: 1.05–1.50; OR = 1.18, 95 % CI
1.08–1.28; and OR = 1.02, 95 % CI: 1.00–1.05, respectively). Identifying the associations between social, family, and community
based stress and somatic symptoms may improve the quality of life for children living in urban environments through early
identification and treatment.

  • Content Type Journal Article
  • Pages 1-12
  • DOI 10.1007/s10865-012-9440-2
  • Authors
    • Shayla L. Hart, Department of Psychology, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
    • Stacy C. Hodgkinson, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
    • Harolyn M. E. Belcher, Family Center at Kennedy Krieger Institute, 707 North Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
    • Corine Hyman, Family Center at Kennedy Krieger Institute, 707 North Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
    • Michele Cooley-Strickland, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA