Introduction. Somatization is one of the most prevalent current health issues
affecting the well-being and quality of life in the general population. Many
psychological constructs influence somatization and its outcomes. It was our
aim to assess the features and prevalence of somatization in general
population of Serbia by using the Patient Health Questionnaire-15
instrument, as well as to determine its relations with personality traits,
factors of psychological distress and well-being. Material and Methods. Two
studies were performed: Study 1 (N = 714) aimed to determine the relations
between the Big Five personality traits, alexithymia and somatization, and
Study 2 (N = 807) investigated the relationship between factors of
psychological distress such as depression, anxiety and stress, factors of
well-being such as life satisfaction and subjective vitality with
somatization. Results. In Study 1, Neuroticism and Toronto Alexithymia
Scale-20 Factor 1, difficulty identifying feelings, strongly correlated with
somatization, and the measured constructs explained 33.4% of somatization
variance. In Study 2, anxiety and stress had the strongest correlation
indices from the measured constructs and Study 2 regression model explained
44.7% of the variance. The most prevalent symptoms measured by the Patient
Health Questionnaire-15 were tiredness, back pain and headaches. Conclusion.
Somatization levels were slightly higher than those previously reported in
general population. However, they were still well under those reported in
the clinical populations. Symptom prevalence was compatible with previous
findings in the general population, whereas Neuroticism and anxiety were
most closely associated with somatization. Further research is needed to
define other factors that contribute to the development of somatization.
The Reliability and Validity of the Hebrew Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) in the General Population
