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Associations between Stress, Psychosomatic Complaints, and Parental Criticism among Affluent Adolescent Girls

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Abstract

A growing body of research has shown that adolescent girls in the context of affluence face a series of unique pressures that may increase social-emotional problems. Little research, however, has examined associations between perceived stress and psychosomatic complaints among privileged youth. In the present study, we investigated the relationships between stress, psychosomatic complaints, and parental criticism in a sample of preadolescent and adolescent girls (n = 218) from selective, private schools. Using OLS regression analyses, cross-sectional and longitudinal associations were evident between perceived stress and psychosomatic complaints, with increases in stress associated with increases in psychosomatic problems. Parental criticism was also examined as a predictor of girls’ psychosomatic complaints and stress levels. Results indicated that parental criticism was significantly and positively associated with psychosomatic problems in cross-sectional models and that perceived stress levels mediated this association. Additional analyses demonstrated that the relationship between psychosomatic complaints and stress may be bidirectional. Taken together, results from this exploratory study suggest that girls in the context of affluence may also experience psychosomatic complaints, in addition to social-emotional problems.

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Author Contributions

K.W. assisted with the data analyses and wrote the paper. T.J.L. collaborated with the design and execution of the 21st Century Athenas study, assisted with the data analyses, and wrote the paper. B.L. PI of the 21st Century Athenas study and collaborated with the writing and editing of the final manuscript. A.D.M. collaborated with the design and execution of the 21st Century Athenas study and collaborated with the writing and editing of the final manuscript. R.S. Co-PI of the 21st Century Athenas study and collaborated with the writing and editing of the final manuscript.

Funding

This study was conducted with the support and cooperation of Laurel School’s Center for Research on Girls. This study was also supported through Wingate University’s Summer Research Grant Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Wingate University, Wingate, NC, USA

    Kimberly Williams & Terese Jean Lund

  2. Department of Counseling and Developmental Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA

    Belle Liang

  3. Department of Education, Rivier University, Nashua, NH, USA

    Angela DeSilva Mousseau

  4. School of Social Work, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

    Rénee Spencer

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  1. Kimberly Williams
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  2. Terese Jean Lund
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Correspondence to Terese Jean Lund.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human subjects were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution or practice at which the studies were conducted.

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Williams, K., Lund, T.J., Liang, B. et al. Associations between Stress, Psychosomatic Complaints, and Parental Criticism among Affluent Adolescent Girls. J Child Fam Stud 27, 1384–1393 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0991-2

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