OBJECTIVETo investigate the prevalence of common psychosomatic symptoms among Chinese adolescents and the influence on 6 months later suicide and self-injurious behavior.

METHODSBased on the cluster sampling method, the participants who were recruited from 8 cities from 3 areas in China, including Eastern areas (Beijing, Shaoxing and Guangzhou), Middle areas (Ezhou, Harbin and Taiyuan) and Western areas (Guiyang and Chongqing), were administered by multidimensional sub-health questionnaire of adolescents (MSQA) in March 2008. Demographics, life style, psychosomatic symptoms, suicide and self-injurious behavior were also assessed. A total of 17 622 questionnaires were valid at baseline. Six months later, 14 407 questionnaires were eligible for two waves investigation. Analysis of Pearson chi-square and logistic model regression analysis were employed to compare the incidence of psychosomatic symptoms, suicide and self-injurious behaviors among different areas and to explore the possible risk factors of those symptoms and behaviors.

RESULTSAt baseline, rates of total common physiological and psychological symptoms were 24.1% (4255/17622) and 30.9% (5447/17622), respectively, with the highest being eating and drinking too much (6.4%, 1130/17622) and hardly feel ease to learn at home (11.8%, 2087/17 622). In males, the rate of common psychological symptoms (30.7%, 2637/8599) was higher than physiological symptoms (24.0%, 2061/8599) (P < 0.05); in females, the rate of common psychological symptoms (31.1%, 2810/9023) was higher than physiological symptoms (24.3%, 2194/9023) (P<0.05). The rate of the common psychosomatic symptoms in senior high school students (46.8%, 2905/6208) were significantly higher than those in middle high school students (37.3%, 2337/6262) and college students (33.2%, 1711/5152) (all P values <0.05). Students from Western areas had the highest incidences of the common physiological and psychological symptoms (30.2%, 1471/4871; 40.6%, 1979/4871), higher than students from Middle areas (22.4%, 1443/6453; 27.0%, 1743/6453) and Eastern areas (21.3%, 1341/6298; 27.4%, 1725/6298) (all P values <0. 05). Results from multiple logistic regression showed that physical symptoms > or = 2 at baseline were shared risk factors for suicidal ideation (RR = 1.44, 95% CI:1.16 - 1.79), attempted suicide (RR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.22 - 2.61) and self-injurious behaviors (RR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.17 - 1.66) 6 months later. Psychopathological symptoms > or = 4 at baseline was the shared risk factors for suicide ideation (RR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.39 -2.17), attempted suicide (RR = 2.08, 95%CI: 1.39 - 3.11) and self-injurious (RR = 1.90, 95%CI: 1.59 - 2.28) 6 months later.

CONCLUSIONIt is common in Chinese adolescents who have multiple psychosomatic symptoms simultaneously. What's important is that those common psychosomatic symptoms are shared risk factors of later suicidal and self-injurious behaviors.