Neuroticism, perceived stress, adverse life events and self-efficacy as predictors of the development of functional somatic disorders... 2024 Petersen

Full title: Neuroticism, perceived stress, adverse life events and self-efficacy as predictors of the development of functional somatic disorders: longitudinal population-based study (DanFunD)

Abstract

Background
Functional somatic disorder (FSD) is a unifying diagnosis that includes functional somatic syndromes such as irritable bowel, chronic widespread pain (CWP) and chronic fatigue. Several psychological factors are associated with FSD. However, longitudinal population-based studies elucidating the causal relationship are scarce.

Aims
To explore if neuroticism, perceived stress, adverse life events (ALEs) and self-efficacy can predict the development of FSD over a 5-year period.

Method
A total of 4288 individuals who participated in the DanFunD baseline and 5-year follow-up investigations were included. FSD was established at both baseline and follow-up, with symptom questionnaires and diagnostic interviews. Neuroticism was measured with the short-form NEO Personality Inventory, perceived stress with the Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale, ALEs with the Danish version of the Cumulative Lifetime Adversity Measure and self-efficacy with the General Self-Efficacy Scale. Associations were investigated with multiple logistic regression models.

Results
Perceived stress predicted incident FSD, irritable bowel, CWP and chronic fatigue (odds ratios: 1.04–1.17). Neuroticism predicted incident FSD and chronic fatigue (odds ratios: 1.03–1.16). ALEs predicted incident FSD, CWP and chronic fatigue (odds ratios: 1.06–1.18). An increase in perceived stress from baseline to follow-up was associated with incident FSD, irritable bowel, CWP and chronic fatigue (odds ratios: 1.05–1.22). Contrary, an increase in self-efficacy seemed to be a protective factor (odds ratios: 0.89–0.99).

Conclusions
High neuroticism, high perceived stress and a high number of ALEs are risk factors for the development of FSD. Particularly perceived stress seems to be an important contributor to the onset of FSD.

Open access, https://www.cambridge.org/core/jour...tudy-danfund/81B6ADACCB365E83C3E0F357CB598527

 

"Functional somatic disorder (FSD) is a unifying diagnosis that includes a range of functional somatic syndromes (FSS) such as irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, and it can be conceptualised as the diagnostic concept bodily distress syndrome.Reference Burton, Fink, Henningsen, Lowe and Rief1 It is characterised by persisting patterns of physical symptoms that cannot be better explained by other physical or mental conditions.Reference Burton, Fink, Henningsen, Lowe and Rief1 FSD may be severely disabling and cause great emotional distress for the patients, and severe cases have an excessive use of healthcare services (e.g. repeated hospital admissions and medical investigations, and fruitless treatment attempts).Reference Burton, Fink, Henningsen, Lowe and Rief1 The resulting costs are high for both patients and society in terms of healthcare and work-related costs."

 

Oh wow. I'm travelling today. I'll try and read tomorrow

Have they no shame? Do they not care the harm they do?

 

This is like a group of economists who claim that going to cheap stores and food banks causes poverty. They got it completely backwards but are so full of themselves that even when they find exactly what they should expect, they argue it backwards anyway.

These quacks will be studied for a long time as examples of irrational behavior. Ironic, considering that this is what they seem to believe about us.

But what does this say of the rest of the profession who reads this nonsense and think it's great? It takes two to make a blatant lie: a liar, and someone who doesn't care that it's a lie. Frankly I lay more blame on the latter.

 

Stress, perceived or otherwise, could lead to physiological changes. Not knowing yet doesn't mean that the underlying changes don't exist. In fact, scientists readily admit that there are much that we don't know about neuroimmunology. The conclusion should be re-rewritten as "High stress and high number of ALEs are risk factors for developing Unidentified Somatic Disorder".