Objective: To examine the influence of parental solicitousness on self-reported somatic complaints in school-age children.
Design and main outcome measures: Participants were 564 children (mean age 10 years) and their parents. Children completed self-report measures of somatic complaints, parental solicitousness, depressiveness, fear, and sense of coherence. Somatic complaints were assessed again 6 months later. Parents also completed a questionnaire about solicitousness.
Results: Parental solicitousness as reported by children or parents was unrelated to the frequency of self-reported somatic complaints. Symptoms of depression, fear, and lower sense of coherence were associated with more somatic complaints, but did not interact with parental solicitousness.
Conclusion: Parental solicitousness seems unrelated to more frequent somatic complaints in schoolchildren.
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