Page 79 - JCBP-2-1

Journal of Clinical and
Basic Psychosomatics Screening for SSD-B criteria in China

self-reported chronic diseases , indicating the SSD-12’s Outpatient Unit at Shanghai Tongji Hospital, conducted
[23]
ability to differentiate between patient groups. However, between February 2023 and August 2023 for validation
even though the total score of the scale can reflect patients’ purposes. Results from two studies were meticulously
psychological burden related to symptoms, assessing the compared and analyzed.
disproportion of symptoms is challenging for patients and Inclusion criteria encompassed individuals who
clinical doctors, especially when SSD coexists with known were (i) over 18 years old; (ii) capable of reading and
physical disease diagnoses. The daily time spent worrying writing; (iii) able to cooperate in completing surveys;
about physical discomfort, as a subjective experience and and (iv) suffering from physical symptoms and seeking
feeling for patients, emerges as an important variable in medical attention. Exclusion criteria were applied to
the SSD–B criteria. A cross-sectional survey in Germany those with (i) major psychosis; (ii) strong suicidal
revealed a significant difference in the amount of time tendencies; (iii) communication difficulties or language
spent worrying about physical symptoms between the barriers; (iv) severe liver and kidney damage, or other
SSD and non-SSD groups on a daily basis . It is plausible systemic diseases; (v) cognitive impairment, organic brain
[24]
that time can serve as a quick and preliminary assessment disorders, or dementia; and (vi) a history of long-term use
of the extent to which patients excessively concern of psychoactive substances or drug abuse.
themselves with their symptoms. Our previous research
on the latest version of the Whiteley Index-8 (WI-8) has The earlier multicenter study was approved by the
demonstrated its excellent ability to distinguish between Ethics Committee of Peking Union Medical College
patients with and without health anxiety (area under Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (ethical
the receiver operating curve [ROC] [AUC = 0.822]) . batch number: S-K276). The comparative study involving
[25]
Moreover, a robust correlation between WI-8 and SSD-12 human participants was reviewed and approved by
in the outpatient population of general hospitals in China the Ethics Committee of Tongji Hospital affiliated with
suggests that health anxiety is an important feature of Tongji University (protocol number: SBKT-2023-122).
SSD . Thus, we posit that the combination of time and Before the survey, all researchers received training from
[26]
WI-8 for screening SSD–B criteria enhances the reliability experienced psychiatrist deputy directors or higher. All
and validity of health concerns related to physical participants were requested to sign an informed consent
symptoms and subjective feelings of “excessive.” document after understanding the aims of the study.
Patients were explicitly informed that participation is
While a measurement standard for the SSD–B criteria voluntary and that there are no disadvantages associated
currently exists, its applicability to non-psychiatric with their decision to participate or not. Following
experts remains uncertain . Consequently, we aimed to separate screening, 699 participants were included in the
[22]
evaluate the screening diagnostic value of combining the previous multicenter study, and 100 participants were
time spent worrying about physical discomfort per day included in this comparative study, excluding those who
with the WI-8 scale. This approach is intended to furnish did not meet the inclusion criteria and lacked necessary
physicians with a rapid and simple tool for screening data.
purposes.
2.2. Study tools
2. Methods
This study was a multicenter cross-sectional investigation
2.1. Participants that collected basic patient data and clinical information
All patients were sourced from the Departments of through the administration of questionnaires. The time
Biomedicine (Department of Cardiology, Departments required for participants to complete the questionnaires
of Neurology, and Department of Gastroenterology), was approximately 20 min.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and Psychosomatic
Medicine – fields frequently visited by SSD patients seeking 2.2.1. General situation-related questionnaires
medical attention. Data were collected from patients Self-report questionnaires were utilized to collect
across two distinct time frames: (i) the earlier period demographic data and assess the time individuals spent on
corresponds to the previous multicenter cross-sectional physical discomfort per day. One specific query inquired,
study conducted from May 2016 to January 2018, which “How many hours per day are you concerned with your
involved nine tertiary general hospital outpatient units physical complaints?” The exact self-report questionnaires/
situated in different regions of China (Beijing, Shanghai, tools employed in this study include:
Chengdu, Wuhan, and Jincheng) and (ii) the latter period (i) Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15): A self-
corresponds to the data collection from the Psychosomatic report questionnaire assessing the severity of physical

Volume 2 Issue 1 (2024) 3 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcbp.1813