The Somatization Symptoms among Grammar School Students

The present study investigates the somatization symptoms among grammar school students. High school students (N=218) from a convenience sample school were asked to complete The Somatization Scale. Data analysis showed that girls reported somatization symptoms more frequently than boys. The analysis showed that 1.4% of students felt some of the somatic symptoms on a daily basis, while 6.9% of students had such symptoms 2-3 times a week. Other students reported physical symptoms less frequently. 41.3% of students reported having somatic symptoms once a week and 46.8% of the students complained of somatic symptoms once or twice a month. Only 3.2% of students said that they had never experienced such symptoms. The most common somatic symptoms in adolescence are headaches and fatigue, while the rarest physical symptom is abdominal pain. Contemporary authors associated somatization tendencies with stressful situations in school. Therefore, it is important that parents, teachers and school counselors are familiar with the frequency and potential causes of somatic symptoms in adolescence.