Childhood trauma and adult somatic preoccupation by body area among women in an internal medicine setting: A pilot study

Objective: This study was designed to explore the relationship between thre e types of abuse in childhood and their relationship to somatic preoccupati on, in general and by body area, in adulthood. Method. Eighty-five women in an internal medicine clinic completed self-report measures of childhood se xual, physical, and emotional abuse as well as the Bradford Somatic Invento ry. Results: Using simple correlations, all three types of abuse were posit ively related to current somatic preoccupation. Using multiple regression a nalysis that included demographic variables (education and age) and the thr ee forms of childhood abuse, only the demographic variables and sexual abus e were uniquely predictive of somatic preoccupation. To determine the relat ionship between childhood abuse and somatic symptoms based on body area (he ad, chest, stomach, throat) and fatigue, a series of multiple regression an alyses were performed. The chest and throat areas were significant but no a buse variable was uniquely predictive. Conclusions: Among females in adulth ood, all studied forms of abuse in childhood appear to contribute to genera l somatic preoccupation, as well as specific somatic symptoms in the chest and throat areas. Sexual abuse, specifically, is a unique predictor for gen eral somatic preoccupation, but not necessarily specific body areas.