TY - JOUR

T1 - Symptom Perceptions in Functional Disorders, Major Health Conditions, and Healthy Controls

T2 - A General Population Study

AU - Weigel, Angelika

AU - Dantoft, Thomas Meinertz

AU - Jørgensen, Torben

AU - Carstensen, Tina

AU - Löwe, Bernd

AU - Weinman, John

AU - Frostholm, Lisbeth

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s).

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Background: The present study investigated differences in symptom perceptions between individuals with functional disorders (FD), major health conditions, and FDs + major health conditions, respectively, and a group of healthy individuals. Furthermore, it investigated the relevance of FDs among other health-related and psychological correlates of symptom perceptions in the framework of the Common Sense Model of Self-Regulation (CMS). Method: This cross-sectional study used epidemiological data from the Danish Study of Functional Disorders part two (N = 7,459 participants, 54% female, 51.99 ± 13.4 years). Symptom perceptions were assessed using the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ) and compared between the four health condition groups. Multiple regression analyses were performed to examine associations between symptom perceptions, FDs, and other health-related and psychological correlates from the CMS framework. Results: Individuals with FDs (n = 976) and those with FDs + major health conditions (n = 162) reported less favorable symptom perceptions compared to the other two groups, particularly. regarding perceived consequences, timeline, and emotional representations (effect size range Cohen's d = 0.12-0.66). The presence of a FD was significantly associated with all B-IPQ items, even in the context of 16 other relevant health-related and psychological correlates from the CMS framework, whereas symptom presence last year or last week was not. Conclusion: In the general population, symptom perceptions seem to play a more salient role in FD than in individuals with well-defined physical illness. Symptom perceptions should therefore be targeted in both primary and secondary interventions for FDs.

AB - Background: The present study investigated differences in symptom perceptions between individuals with functional disorders (FD), major health conditions, and FDs + major health conditions, respectively, and a group of healthy individuals. Furthermore, it investigated the relevance of FDs among other health-related and psychological correlates of symptom perceptions in the framework of the Common Sense Model of Self-Regulation (CMS). Method: This cross-sectional study used epidemiological data from the Danish Study of Functional Disorders part two (N = 7,459 participants, 54% female, 51.99 ± 13.4 years). Symptom perceptions were assessed using the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ) and compared between the four health condition groups. Multiple regression analyses were performed to examine associations between symptom perceptions, FDs, and other health-related and psychological correlates from the CMS framework. Results: Individuals with FDs (n = 976) and those with FDs + major health conditions (n = 162) reported less favorable symptom perceptions compared to the other two groups, particularly. regarding perceived consequences, timeline, and emotional representations (effect size range Cohen's d = 0.12-0.66). The presence of a FD was significantly associated with all B-IPQ items, even in the context of 16 other relevant health-related and psychological correlates from the CMS framework, whereas symptom presence last year or last week was not. Conclusion: In the general population, symptom perceptions seem to play a more salient role in FD than in individuals with well-defined physical illness. Symptom perceptions should therefore be targeted in both primary and secondary interventions for FDs.

KW - common-sense model of illness

KW - epidemiological study

KW - functional disorders

KW - personality traits

KW - quality of life

KW - symptom perceptions

U2 - 10.32872/cpe.7739

DO - 10.32872/cpe.7739

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 36762352

AN - SCOPUS:85146267549

VL - 4

JO - Clinical Psychology in Europe

JF - Clinical Psychology in Europe

SN - 2625-3410

IS - 4

M1 - e7739

ER -