Somatic sensations and psychological distress among students in Britain and Pakistan

This is a cross-cultural study reporting the prevalence of somatic sensations in matched populations of students in Leeds (U.K.) and Lahore (Pakistan). A new self-report questionnaire, the Bradford Somatic Inventory (BSI), was employed together with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). There was no statistically significant difference between the two populations in mean endorsement rates but females from both ethnic groups demonstrated a higher prevalence of reported somatic sensations and had higher GHQ scores than males. The frequency hierarchy of endorsed items was similar in both groups. This study provides no support for the notion that Asian subjects generally experience more somatic sensations associated with psychological distress than Western subjects. Differences in the endorsement rates of particular items were evident and these are discussed.