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An increase in somatization in pandemic time in association with lexical characterictic of statements about pandemic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2022

T. Medvedeva
Affiliation:
Federal State Budgetary Scientific institution “Mental health research center”, Clinical Psychology, Moscow, Russian Federation
S. Enikolopov
Affiliation:
Federal State Budgetary Scientific institution “Mental health research center”, Clinical Psychology, Moscow, Russian Federation
O. Boyko*
Affiliation:
Federal State Budgetary Scientific institution “Mental health research center”, Clinical Psychology, Moscow, Russian Federation
O. Vorontsova
Affiliation:
Federal State Budgetary Scientific institution “Mental health research center”, Clinical Psychology, Moscow, Russian Federation
M. Stankevich
Affiliation:
Federal Research Center ”Computer Science and Control” of RAS, Institute For Systems Analysis, Moscow, Russian Federation
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

One of the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic may be an increase in somatization.

Objectives

identification of implicit characteristics of texts indicating the peculiarities of the opinion about the pandemic by people with high somatization level.

Methods

Survey (03/23/2020–01/29/2021, N=1188). Used: SCL-90-R, COPE, Constructive Thinking Inventory (CTI). It was offered to express an opinion on the pandemic. The statements were divided into the two text arrays - “high somatization” and “low somatization” (based on the parameter “somatization” SCL-90R). The frequency of words in these text arrays was estimated (LIWC).

Results

The analysis showed an increase in somatization as the pandemic developed (Std.J-T Statistic=4,327). The relationship between somatization and anxiety, sleep disturbances, and depression was revealed. Higher rates of somatization are associated with a decrease in emotional coping, «global constructive thinking» and «personal superstitious thinking», an increase in «categorical thinking». The connection between somatization and a number of non-constructive copings is shown. Texts associated with high somatization demonstrate higher number of pronouns of the first person (30.77%, 17.19%), a decrease in the tonality of words, a vocabulary (LIWC) of suffering, negative sthenic emotions (1,53%, 0,93%), a decrease in the vocabulary of motivation and resistance (0,93%, 1,49%), a decrease in vocabulary associated with the body (0,20%, 0,32%).

Conclusions

The connection between somatization and high emotional distress, which manifests itself in negative emotional vocabulary and is associated with a low level of emotional coping, is shown. The “representation” of the pandemic, presented in the text, is “divorced” from somatic manifestations, fear of illness and death.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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