Personal, Family, and Environmental Factors Associated with Somatic Complaints in School-Aged Child Victims of Sexual Abuse

Little is known about somatic complaints in school-aged child victims of sexual abuse and the associated risk factors. Given that somatic symptoms can lead to functional impairment and decreased health-related quality of life, identifying associated factors in the child’s environment is essential. This study aimed to identify personal, family, and environmental factors associated with somatic complaints among child victims of sexual abuse. The sample included 654 children (68.8% girls; M = 8.96 years, SD = 1.88) seeking services after disclosure of child sexual abuse. Hierarchical linear regression models were used to investigate the associations between personal, family, and environmental factors, and somatic symptoms. Sex differences in the associations between risk factors and the level of somatic symptoms were systematically tested. Most children (58%) had at least one somatic symptom (M girls = 1.37, SD = 1.44 and M boys = 1.04, SD = 1.38). After controlling for sex and age, stress related to sexual abuse disclosure (β = 0.16, 95% CI [0.08, 0.23]), parental distress (β = 0.18, 95% CI [0.10, 0.26]), the number of stressful life events experienced (β = 0.12, 95% CI [0.05, 0.20]) and neighborhood social deprivation (β = 0.21, 95% CI [0.01, 0.42]) were independently associated with greater level of somatic complaints. Stress related to sexual abuse disclosure, parental distress, the number of stressful life events, and neighborhood social deprivation were associated with higher levels of somatic complaints in this population.