Cross-lagged Relations of Children’s Somatoform Complaints: Embedment within Learning Theory and Secondary Gain Concept

Abstract

The current state of research on the emergence and maintenance of somatoform symptoms in childhood identifies the influence of both child and parental factors. The aim of the present study is to examine reciprocal relations and stability between somatoform complaints, children’s adaptive emotion regulation (ER) strategies, withdrawal behavior, and overprotective parenting. In total, 97 children (female n = 46, (47%); M age T1 = 9.7 years (SD) = 0.54) and their parents completed questionnaires at two time points. A cross-lagged panel design was used to analyze reciprocal associations and stability effects between the included variables over one year (Kearney, 2017; Selig & Little, 2012). Results show significant autoregressive effects of both the individual child and parental variables. Parental overprotection predicted child emotion regulation, withdrawal behavior, and somatoform complaints over time; with no reciprocal effects. Similarly, only unilateral effects were shown between adaptive ER strategies, and withdrawal behaviors, and somatoform symptoms. The results are discussed in the framework of learning theory and secondary gain.