Parental Overprotection Predicts the Development of Functional Somatic Symptoms in Young Adolescents

Janssens, Karin A.M.; Oldehinkel, Albertine J.; Rosmalen, Judith G.M.

doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2008.12.023

« Previous Next »The Journal of Pediatrics
Volume 154, Issue 6 , Pages 918-923.e1, June 2009

Parental Overprotection Predicts the Development of Functional Somatic Symptoms in Young Adolescents

Karin A.M. Janssens, MSc
- Interdisciplinary Center for Psychiatric Epidemiology and Graduate Schools for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences and for Health Research, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Reprint requests: Karin A. M. Janssens, Interdisciplinary Center for Psychiatric Epidemiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, PO Box 30001, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands
Albertine J. Oldehinkel, PhD
- Interdisciplinary Center for Psychiatric Epidemiology and Graduate Schools for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences and for Health Research, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry–Sophia Children's Hospital, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Judith G.M. Rosmalen, PhD
- Interdisciplinary Center for Psychiatric Epidemiology and Graduate Schools for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences and for Health Research, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

Received 22 August 2008; received in revised form 28 October 2008; accepted 10 December 2008. published online 02 February 2009.

Objective

To examine whether parental overprotection contributes to the development of functional somatic symptoms (FSS) in young adolescents. In addition, we aimed to study whether this potential effect of parental overprotection is mediated by parenting distress and/or moderated by the adolescent's sex.

Study design

FSS were measured in 2230 adolescents (ages 10 to 12 years from the Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey) by the Somatic Complaints subscale of the Youth Self Report at baseline and at follow-up 2½ years later. Parental overprotection as perceived by the child was assessed by means of the EMBU-C (Swedish acronym for my memories of upbringing–child version). Parents completed the Parenting Stress Index. Linear regression analyses were performed adjusted for FSS at baseline and sex.

Results

Parental overprotection was a predictor of the development of FSS in young adolescents (β = 0.055, P < .01). Stratified analyses revealed that maternal overprotection was a predictor of the development of FSS in girls (β = 0.085, P < .02), whereas paternal overprotection was a predictor of the development of FSS in boys (β = 0.072, P < .01). A small (5.7%) but significant mediating effect of maternal parenting stress in the relationship between parental overprotection and FSS was found.