Personal identity, somatic symptoms, and symptom-related thoughts, feelings, and behaviors : exploring associations and mechanisms in adolescents and emerging adults

The present paper includes two studies examining how identity functioning is related to (psychological characteristics of) somatic symptoms. Study 1 examined associations between identity and somatic symptoms, whereas Study 2 additionally examined associations between identity and psychological characteristics of somatic symptoms and investigated the mediating role of anxiety and depressive symptoms in the association between identity disturbance and (psychological characteristics of) somatic symptoms. The total sample consisted of adolescents and emerging adults aged 14-30, including 686 and 663 participants for Study 1 and 2, respectively. In both studies, youth in troubled diffusion reported the most (psychological characteristics of) somatic symptoms. Finally, significant indirect effects from identity disturbance to (psychological characteristics of) somatic symptoms through anxiety and depressive symptoms were found.