Background: People with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) may have psychological co-morbidities.
Aims: Our objectives were to assess the rates and identify correlates of psychological distress in MUS.
Methods: A total of 171 subjects with MUS seeking treatment at a tertiary care facility were assessed over a 3-year period. Psychological distress was assessed using the Tamil version of General Health Questionnaire-12. Apart from socio-demographic factors, personality, coping, perceived social support and subjective disability were assessed using standard instruments.
Results: Ninety subjects (52.6%) endorsed symptoms of psychological distress. MUS subjects with psychological distress reported higher levels of neuroticism (p < 0.001), lower extraversion (p < 0.001), lower perceived social support (p = 0.002), higher disability (p < 0.001), lower problem focused engagement (p = 0.378) and higher emotion focused engagement (p = 0.009). In multivariate analysis, high neuroticism scores (odds ratio 1.579, 95% CI 1.108 to 2.251) and high disability (odds ratio 1.302, 95% CI 1.147 to 1.478) emerged as independent predictors of psychological distress in MUS.
Conclusion: More than half of subjects with MUS have associated psychological distress. High levels of neuroticism and disability are potential markers of psychological distress in MUS. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.