Evaluation of the psychological feature and quality of life in outpatients with somatic symptoms disorder in a general hospital

Objective: To explore the psychological features and quality of life in outpatients with somatic symptoms disorder in a general hospital.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from 2014-05 to 2015-06. Patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) and somatic symptoms disorder (SSD) were recruited from psychological outpatient department, and patients with peptic ulcer (PU) / reflux esophagitis (RE) were recruited from Gastroenterology. Depression scale of the patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7), Toronto Alexithymia scale (TAS), 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12), items from Somatoform Disorder Screening Questionnaire were employed to evaluate the severity of depression, anxiety, alexithymia, quality of life, health care use and subjective feelings.

Results: Scores of PHQ-9 (10±6), GAD-7 (8±5), TAS (74±7) in patients with SSD were significantly higher than PU/RE patients (5±4, 5±4, 71±8, respectively), and the physical component summary (PCS) (40±8) and mental component summary (MCS) (37±10) of SSD patients were much lower than PU/RE (PCS 45±6, MCS 47±9) (P<0.01). No significant difference was found in the scores of PHQ-9, GAD-7, MCS-12, TAS between SSD and MDD group, but PCS-12 score of SSD group was much lower than that of MDD (P=0.017). Patients of SSD had more visits, more impact on life and longer duration of disorder. Multiple linear regression found that PHQ-9 score, subject feeling that life quality was affected were significant influential factors of PCS (F=14.600, P=0.001), and PHQ-9 score, occupation and ability to distinct emotion and physical feelings were significant influential factors of MCS (F=28.022, P=0.001).

Conclusions: The SSD patients in a general hospital suffer from somatic symptoms and emotional distress, and quality of life is affected significantly. Clinicians should thoroughly evaluate patients according to bio-psycho-social aspects and give intervention individually.