Psychobiological Mechanisms in Somatic Symptom Disorder and Depressive Disorders: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Approach

We examined the associations between NPF and somatic symptoms in the daily life of women with SSD or DD and investigated the mediating role of psychobiological stress responses.

Methods

Twenty-nine women with SSD and 29 women with DD participated in an ecological momentary assessment study. For 14 days, intensity of and impairment by somatic symptoms, NPF, and stress-related biological measures (cortisol, alpha-amylase) were assessed five times per day using an electronic device and saliva samples. Multilevel models were conducted.

Results

The greater the number of NPF, the higher the concurrent and time-lagged intensity of and impairment by somatic symptoms in both groups (12.0%–38.6% of variance explained; χ2(12) p

Source: Psychosomatic Medicine - December 20, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLES Source Type: research