Understanding Functional Somatic Symptoms in Children and Adolescents: The Roles of Mindfulness, Perceived Stress, and Anxiety
- 1Istinye University, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Istanbul, Türkiye
- 2Dr. Ismail Fehmi Cumalioğlu City Hospital, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Tekirdag, Türkiye
- 3Yalova University, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Yalova, Türkiye
Abstract
Background: Functional somatic symptoms are common in children and adolescents and are often associated with anxiety and perceived stress. Mindfulness may be protective, but the mechanisms linking mindfulness to somatic symptom severity remain unclear. This study aimed to examine relationships between mindfulness, perceived stress, anxiety, and somatic symptom severity using a serial mediation model.
Methods: This study included 55 children and adolescents, aged 10-18, diagnosed with anxiety disorders. Participants were recruited from a child psychiatry outpatient clinic. After semi-structured interview, self-report measures were administered, including Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, Screen for Child Anxiety and Related Disorders, and Level 2 Somatic Symptoms Scale. Correlation, regression, and serial mediation analyses were conducted, controlling for age and sex.
Results: Somatic symptom severity was negatively correlated with mindfulness and positively correlated with perceived stress and anxiety. Regression analysis indicated that higher anxiety and lower mindfulness were associated with somatic symptom severity, while perceived stress was not. Mediation analysis revealed a significant total indirect effect of mindfulness on somatic symptoms. Anxiety alone significantly mediated this relationship, whereas perceived stress did not act as an independent mediator. A significant serial mediation was identified: higher mindfulness was associated with lower perceived stress and lower anxiety, which were in turn associated with lower somatic symptom severity.
Conclusion: Findings suggest that mindfulness is associated with lower somatic symptom severity both directly and indirectly, primarily through anxiety and sequentially through perceived stress and anxiety. Working with mindfulness and anxiety may be beneficial for youth presenting with somatic symptoms.
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BibTeX
@article{sevincok2026understanding,
title = {{Understanding Functional Somatic Symptoms in Children and Adolescents: The Roles of Mindfulness, Perceived Stress, and Anxiety}},
author = {Doğa Sevinçok and Hasan Can Özbay and Mutlu Muhammed Özbek},
journal = {Psychiatry and clinical psychopharmacology},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.65801/pcp.3539},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13720783},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Understanding Functional Somatic Symptoms in Children and Adolescents: The Roles of Mindfulness, Perceived Stress, and Anxiety
AU - Doğa Sevinçok
AU - Hasan Can Özbay
AU - Mutlu Muhammed Özbek
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/01
JO - Psychiatry and clinical psychopharmacology
DO - 10.65801/pcp.3539
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13720783
AB - Background: Functional somatic symptoms are common in children and adolescents and are often associated with anxiety and perceived stress. Mindfulness may be protective, but the mechanisms linking mindfulness to somatic symptom severity remain unclear. This study aimed to examine relationships between mindfulness, perceived stress, anxiety, and somatic symptom severity using a serial mediation model. Methods: This study included 55 children and adolescents, aged 10-18, diagnosed with anxiety disorders. Participants were recruited from a child psychiatry outpatient clinic. After semi-structured interview, self-report measures were administered, including Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, Screen for Child Anxiety and Related Disorders, and Level 2 Somatic Symptoms Scale. Correlation, regression, and serial mediation analyses were conducted, controlling for age and sex. Results: Somatic symptom severity was negatively correlated with mindfulness and positively correlated with perceived stress and anxiety. Regression analysis indicated that higher anxiety and lower mindfulness were associated with somatic symptom severity, while perceived stress was not. Mediation analysis revealed a significant total indirect effect of mindfulness on somatic symptoms. Anxiety alone significantly mediated this relationship, whereas perceived stress did not act as an independent mediator. A significant serial mediation was identified: higher mindfulness was associated with lower perceived stress and lower anxiety, which were in turn associated with lower somatic symptom severity. Conclusion: Findings suggest that mindfulness is associated with lower somatic symptom severity both directly and indirectly, primarily through anxiety and sequentially through perceived stress and anxiety. Working with mindfulness and anxiety may be beneficial for youth presenting with somatic symptoms.
SN - 2475-0581
ER -