Symptom perception: psychological correlates of symptom reporting and illness behavior of women with medically unexplained gynecological symptoms

Medically unexplained (gynecological) symptoms can be viewed as an indication of the somatization of negative emotions. Most studies regarding psychological correlates of medically unexplained gynecological symptoms have paid attention only to certain personality characteristics of women with these symptoms. In this study the reporting of physical symptoms and the resulting illness behavior is explained in terms of information processing or a perception process, i.e. the process by which people detect and interpret physical sensations as symptoms of illness (symptom perception). Symptom perception is in part determined by environmental characteristics and cognitive and emotional processes, such as variation in daily life, (coping with) emotional threat and the use of cognitive illness schemes. Differences in symptom perception and illness behavior of women with medically unexplained and explained gynecological symptoms, compared to women with medically explained gynecological symptoms and a control group, were established with the help of a questionnaire, containing a number of scales. As expected, women with medically unexplained gynecological symptoms had higher reports of common symptoms and sensations and showed also more other illness behavior than the other two groups. They reported less variation and more threat in daily life than the other two groups. These variables together with the use of illness schemes contributed most to symptom reporting of women with medically unexplained symptoms. It is concluded that defence against threat is probably an important determinant. Suggestions for further research and some practical implications are discussed.