Identifying the Profiles of Psychosomatic Disorders in an Iranian Adult Population and their Relation to Psychological Problems

Background and In recent decades psychosomatic disorders have emerged that complexity of their diagnosis impose large economic burdens on patients. The aim of this study was to identify and classify the profiles of psychosomatic disorders and their relationship with psychological problems (mental distress, anxiety, and depression) in an Iranian adult population.
A cross-sectional study was performed in 4763 individuals participating in a research project called SEPAHAN. Psychosomatic symptoms and psychological problems were studied using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15) and 47 questions psychosomatic, Lacourt Questionnaire General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and hospital anxiety and depression Scale (HADS).
Four categories of psychosomatic disorders including mental, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and general symptoms were extracted from psychosomatic symptoms that explained 42.02% of the total variance. Similar to that of the study population four categories of psychosomatic disorders were extracted for both males and females explaining 41.54 and 44.75 of the total variance, respectively. A significant association was seen between mental health problems and psychosomatic disorders. In other words, higher scores in psychosomatic disorders increased the prevalence of mental health problems (p To the best of our knowledge the current study was the first study that categorized psychosomatic disorders (mental, gastrointestinal, respiratory and general symptoms). The results showed higher incidences of mental health problems are associated with severity of these disorders. These results could be of great help in appropriate diagnosis of these disorders and also in treatment and prevention of mental health problems based on the observed relationships.