Psychosomatic symptoms in medical outpatients: an investigation of self-handicapping theory. Article

Organista, PB, Miranda, J. (1991). Psychosomatic symptoms in medical outpatients: an investigation of self-handicapping theory. . HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY, 10(6), 427-431. 10.1037/0278-6133.10.6.427

cited authors

  • Organista, PB; Miranda, J

authors

abstract

  • Investigated self-handicapping theory as it relates to somatization in medical patients. We predicted that medical outpatients (N = 113) would report psychosomatic symptoms in response to events that threaten their self-esteem. As predicted, results of hierarchical multiple regression indicated that high-perfectionism patients reported somatic symptoms positively related to the number of events that jeopardize their sense of accomplishment, whereas low-perfectionism patients' somatic symptoms were not related to these events (p = .005). Contrary to prediction, high-dependency patients did not differ significantly from low-dependency patients in the relationship of somatic symptoms and events that threatened their interpersonal relationships (p = .115). Implications of these findings and the utility of self-handicapping theory for predicting somatization in medical patients are discussed.

publication date

  • January 1, 1991

published in

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

start page

  • 427

end page

  • 431

volume

  • 10

issue

  • 6