Objective: To investigate the prevalence of common psychosomatic symptoms among Chinese adolescents and the influence on 6 months later suicide and self-injurious behavior.
Methods: Based on the cluster sampling method, the participants who were recruited from 8 cities from 3 areas in China, including Eastern areas (Beijing, Shaoxing and Guangzhou), Middle areas (Ezhou, Harbin and Taiyuan) and Western areas (Guiyang and Chongqing), were administered by multidimensional sub-health questionnaire of adolescents (MSQA) in March 2008. Demographics, life style, psychosomatic symptoms, suicide and self-injurious behavior were also assessed. A total of 17 622 questionnaires were valid at baseline. Six months later, 14 407 questionnaires were eligible for two waves investigation. Analysis of Pearson chi-square and logistic model regression analysis were employed to compare the incidence of psychosomatic symptoms, suicide and self-injurious behaviors among different areas and to explore the possible risk factors of those symptoms and behaviors.
Results: At baseline, rates of total common physiological and psychological symptoms were 24.1% (4255/17622) and 30.9% (5447/17622), respectively, with the highest being eating and drinking too much (6.4%, 1130/17622) and hardly feel ease to learn at home (11.8%, 2087/17 622). In males, the rate of common psychological symptoms (30.7%, 2637/8599) was higher than physiological symptoms (24.0%, 2061/8599) (P < 0.05); in females, the rate of common psychological symptoms (31.1%, 2810/9023) was higher than physiological symptoms (24.3%, 2194/9023) (P<0.05). The rate of the common psychosomatic symptoms in senior high school students (46.8%, 2905/6208) were significantly higher than those in middle high school students (37.3%, 2337/6262) and college students (33.2%, 1711/5152) (all P values <0.05). Students from Western areas had the highest incidences of the common physiological and psychological symptoms (30.2%, 1471/4871; 40.6%, 1979/4871), higher than students from Middle areas (22.4%, 1443/6453; 27.0%, 1743/6453) and Eastern areas (21.3%, 1341/6298; 27.4%, 1725/6298) (all P values <0. 05). Results from multiple logistic regression showed that physical symptoms > or = 2 at baseline were shared risk factors for suicidal ideation (RR = 1.44, 95% CI:1.16 - 1.79), attempted suicide (RR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.22 - 2.61) and self-injurious behaviors (RR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.17 - 1.66) 6 months later. Psychopathological symptoms > or = 4 at baseline was the shared risk factors for suicide ideation (RR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.39 -2.17), attempted suicide (RR = 2.08, 95%CI: 1.39 - 3.11) and self-injurious (RR = 1.90, 95%CI: 1.59 - 2.28) 6 months later.
Conclusion: It is common in Chinese adolescents who have multiple psychosomatic symptoms simultaneously. What's important is that those common psychosomatic symptoms are shared risk factors of later suicidal and self-injurious behaviors.