How symptoms of simple acute infections affect the SSS-8 and SSD-12 as screening instruments for somatic symptom disorder in the primary care setting
ObjectiveSomatic symptom disorder (SSD) is one of the most common reasons for consultations in primary care, in addition to simple acute infections. Questionnaire-based screening instruments to identify patients at high risk of SSD are thus of great clinical relevance. Although screening instruments...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1114782/full |
| _version_ | 1827965936765763584 |
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| author | Ying Zhang David Baumeister Mona Spanidis Felicitas Engel Sabrina Berens Annika Gauss Wolfgang Eich Jonas Tesarz |
| author_facet | Ying Zhang David Baumeister Mona Spanidis Felicitas Engel Sabrina Berens Annika Gauss Wolfgang Eich Jonas Tesarz |
| author_sort | Ying Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ObjectiveSomatic symptom disorder (SSD) is one of the most common reasons for consultations in primary care, in addition to simple acute infections. Questionnaire-based screening instruments to identify patients at high risk of SSD are thus of great clinical relevance. Although screening instruments are frequently used, it is currently unclear to what extent they are influenced by the concurrent presence of simple acute infections. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate how symptoms of simple acute infections affect the two established questionnaires as screening instruments for somatic symptom disorder in the primary care setting.MethodsIn our cross-sectional, multicenter design, a total of 1,000 patients in primary care practices were screened using the two most established SSD screening questionnaires, the 8-item Somatic Symptom Scale (SSS-8) and the 12-item Somatic Symptom Disorder—B Criteria Scale (SSD-12), followed by clinical assessment by the primary care physician.ResultsA total of 140 patients with a simple acute infection (acute infection group, AIG) and 219 patients with chronic somatic symptoms (somatic symptom group, SSG) were included. The patients in the SSG showed higher total SSS-8 and SSD-12 scores than the patients in the AIG; however, the SSS-8 was more susceptible to changes triggered by symptoms of a simple acute infection than the SSD-12.ConclusionThese results suggest that the SSD-12 is less susceptible to symptoms of a simple acute infection. Its total score and corresponding cutoff value provide a more specific and thus less susceptible screening tool for identifying SSD in primary care. |
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| id | doaj.art-e1fcfe9a466a41fa97bbef588ee41c22 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T17:41:09Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-e1fcfe9a466a41fa97bbef588ee41c222023-04-17T05:29:55ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402023-04-011410.3389/fpsyt.2023.11147821114782How symptoms of simple acute infections affect the SSS-8 and SSD-12 as screening instruments for somatic symptom disorder in the primary care settingYing Zhang0David Baumeister1Mona Spanidis2Felicitas Engel3Sabrina Berens4Annika Gauss5Wolfgang Eich6Jonas Tesarz7Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, GermanyDepartment of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, GermanyDepartment of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, GermanyDepartment of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, GermanyDepartment of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, GermanyDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, GermanyDepartment of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, GermanyDepartment of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, GermanyObjectiveSomatic symptom disorder (SSD) is one of the most common reasons for consultations in primary care, in addition to simple acute infections. Questionnaire-based screening instruments to identify patients at high risk of SSD are thus of great clinical relevance. Although screening instruments are frequently used, it is currently unclear to what extent they are influenced by the concurrent presence of simple acute infections. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate how symptoms of simple acute infections affect the two established questionnaires as screening instruments for somatic symptom disorder in the primary care setting.MethodsIn our cross-sectional, multicenter design, a total of 1,000 patients in primary care practices were screened using the two most established SSD screening questionnaires, the 8-item Somatic Symptom Scale (SSS-8) and the 12-item Somatic Symptom Disorder—B Criteria Scale (SSD-12), followed by clinical assessment by the primary care physician.ResultsA total of 140 patients with a simple acute infection (acute infection group, AIG) and 219 patients with chronic somatic symptoms (somatic symptom group, SSG) were included. The patients in the SSG showed higher total SSS-8 and SSD-12 scores than the patients in the AIG; however, the SSS-8 was more susceptible to changes triggered by symptoms of a simple acute infection than the SSD-12.ConclusionThese results suggest that the SSD-12 is less susceptible to symptoms of a simple acute infection. Its total score and corresponding cutoff value provide a more specific and thus less susceptible screening tool for identifying SSD in primary care.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1114782/fullsimple acute infectionssomatic symptom disorderprimary carescreening instrumentsSSS-8SSD-12 |
| spellingShingle | Ying Zhang David Baumeister Mona Spanidis Felicitas Engel Sabrina Berens Annika Gauss Wolfgang Eich Jonas Tesarz How symptoms of simple acute infections affect the SSS-8 and SSD-12 as screening instruments for somatic symptom disorder in the primary care setting Frontiers in Psychiatry simple acute infections somatic symptom disorder primary care screening instruments SSS-8 SSD-12 |
| title | How symptoms of simple acute infections affect the SSS-8 and SSD-12 as screening instruments for somatic symptom disorder in the primary care setting |
| title_full | How symptoms of simple acute infections affect the SSS-8 and SSD-12 as screening instruments for somatic symptom disorder in the primary care setting |
| title_fullStr | How symptoms of simple acute infections affect the SSS-8 and SSD-12 as screening instruments for somatic symptom disorder in the primary care setting |
| title_full_unstemmed | How symptoms of simple acute infections affect the SSS-8 and SSD-12 as screening instruments for somatic symptom disorder in the primary care setting |
| title_short | How symptoms of simple acute infections affect the SSS-8 and SSD-12 as screening instruments for somatic symptom disorder in the primary care setting |
| title_sort | how symptoms of simple acute infections affect the sss 8 and ssd 12 as screening instruments for somatic symptom disorder in the primary care setting |
| topic | simple acute infections somatic symptom disorder primary care screening instruments SSS-8 SSD-12 |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1114782/full |
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