Abstract:
The current study examined the role of temperament and anxiety on somatizing behavior
in young adults (N=230). Participants completed a series of self-report measures
assessing levels of behavioral inhibition, social anxiety, thought suppression, as well as a
multidimensional somatization symptom profile. Gender and ethnicity were also noted as
they may act to moderate the temperament-anxiety-somatization link. Analyses were
carried out using a linear regression model. Results found that temperamental
characteristics like neuroticism, social avoidance, and thought distortion together
constituted a single factor – socio-affective vigilance. Regression analysis showed that
socio-affective vigilance and low threshold were significant positive predictors of
somatic behavior and anxiety in young adults. Data analysis showed that in the present
sample, this relation held only for Caucasians. No ethnic differences were found on
anxiety scores. While women reported significantly more somatic complaints, gender did
not moderate the relation between socio-affective vigilance, low threshold, and
somatization.
