Psychosomatic complaint trajectories in Swedish youth: The role of social background characteristics

Background

Psychosomatic complaints among adolescents have increased across Europe in recent decades, particularly among girls. However, less is known about how these complaints develop within individuals over time. This study examined trajectories of psychosomatic complaints from adolescence to emerging adulthood, stratified by sex, and assessed their associations with sociodemographic characteristics.

Methods

Data were drawn from Futura01, a Swedish national cohort of individuals attending grade 9 in 2017. Survey data from four waves (≈ages 16, 18, 21, and 23), linked with register data, were analysed (n = 3,635; 57% female). Psychosomatic complaints were measured as the frequency of headaches, stomach aches, and sleep difficulties. Group-based trajectory modelling identified developmental patterns, and multinomial logistic regression examined associations with parental education, migration background, and family structure at age 16.

Results

Five trajectories were identified for both females and males: Low stable, Moderate stable, Elevated increasing, Elevated decreasing, and High stable. A greater proportion of females belonged to trajectories with higher levels of complaints. Among females, lower parental education and not living with two original parents were associated with membership in the Elevated decreasing and High stable trajectories compared with the Low stable group (RRR=2.00–4.25, p < 0.05). Among males, living with a single parent was associated with membership in the Elevated increasing, Elevated decreasing, and High stable trajectories (RRR=4.26–6.17, p < 0.01).

Conclusions

Psychosomatic complaint trajectories from adolescence to emerging adulthood are similar for females and males but differ in their associations with sociodemographic characteristics. These findings suggest that sex interacts with social factors in shaping developmental health trajectories among young people and support gender-targeted interventions addressing familial risk factors.

Key messages

• Females report higher levels of psychosomatic complaints across adolescence and emerging adulthood, although similar trajectories were identified for both females and males.

• Not living with both original parents predicted membership in higher-complaint trajectories among both females and males, while low parental education was an additional risk factor for females only.