Benjamin Gierk

The Somatic Symptom Scale–8 (SSS-8): A Brief Measure of Somatic Symptom Burden

IMPORTANCE Somatic symptoms are the core features of many medical diseases, and they are used to evaluate the severity and course of illness. The 8-item Somatic Symptom Scale (SSS-8) was recently developed as a brief, patient-reported outcome measure of somatic symptom burden, but its reliability, validity, and usefulness have not yet been tested. OBJECTIVE To investigate the reliability, validity, and severity categories as well as the reference scores of the SSS-8. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A national, representative general-population survey was performed between June 15, 2012, and July 15, 2012, in Germany, including 2510 individuals older than 13 years. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The SSS-8 mean (SD), item-total correlations, Cronbach α, factor structure, associations with measures of construct validity (Patient Health Questionnaire-2 depression scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 scale, visual analog scale for general health status, 12-month health care use), severity categories, and percentile rank reference scores. RESULTS The SSS-8 had excellent item characteristics and good reliability (Cronbach α = 0.81). The factor structure reflects gastrointestinal, pain, fatigue, and cardiopulmonary aspects of the general somatic symptom burden. Somatic symptom burden as measured by the SSS-8 was significantly associated with depression (r = 0.57 [95% CI, 0.54 to 0.60]), anxiety (r = 0.55 [95% CI, 0.52 to 0.58]), general health status (r = -0.24 [95% CI, -0.28 to -0.20]), and health care use (incidence rate ratio, 1.12 [95% CI, 1.10 to 1.14]). The SSS-8 severity categories were calculated in accordance with percentile ranks: no to minimal (0-3 points), low (4-7 points), medium (8-11 points), high (12-15 points), and very high (16-32 points) somatic symptom burden. For every SSS-8 severity category increase, there was a 53% (95% CI, 44% to 63%) increase in health care visits. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE The SSS-8 is a reliable and valid self-report measure of somatic symptom burden. Cutoff scores identify individuals with low, medium, high, and very high somatic symptom burden.

Development and Validation of the Somatic Symptom Disorder-B Criteria Scale (SSD-12).

Objective To develop and validate a new self-report questionnaire for the assessment of the psychological features of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition somatic symptom disorder. Methods The Somatic Symptom Disorder–B Criteria Scale (SSD-12) was developed in several steps from an initial pool of 98 items. The SSD-12 is composed of 12 items; each of the three psychological subcriteria is measured by four items. In a cross-sectional study, the SSD-12 was administered to 698 patients (65.8% female, mean [standard deviation] age = 38.79 [14.15] years) from a psychosomatic outpatient clinic. Item and scale characteristics as well as measures of reliability and validity were determined. Results The SSD-12 has good item characteristics and excellent reliability (Cronbach &agr; = .95). Confirmatory factor analyses suggested that a three-factorial structure that reflects the three psychological criteria interpreted as cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects (n = 663, Comparative Fit Index > 0.99, Tucker-Lewis Index > 0.99, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.06, 90% confidence interval = 0.01-0.08). SSD-12 total sum score was significantly associated with somatic symptom burden (r = 0.47, p < .001) and health anxiety (r = 0.71, p < .001), and moderately associated with general anxiety (r = 0.35, p < .001) and depressive symptoms (r = 0.22, p < .001). Patients with a higher SSD-12 psychological symptom burden reported higher general physical and mental health impairment and significantly higher health care use. Conclusions The SSD-12 is the first self-report questionnaire that operationalizes the new psychological characteristics of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition somatic symptom disorder. Initial assessment indicates that the SSD-12 has sufficient reliability and validity to warrant further testing in both research and clinical settings.

Somatic Symptoms in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Quality of Life

ings on the ointment-treated site and the untreated site, was compared between the positive and the negative treatment history groups. In addition, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed to assess pain-related brain activity as a physiological measure of analgesia. Specifically, we tested whether the difference in pain-related responses between the treated and untreated sites differed depending on treatment history (interaction effects). The fMRI data were analyzed using SPM8 (http://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/spm/). The study was approved by the local ethics committee.

The overlap of somatic, anxious and depressive syndromes: A population-based analysis.

OBJECTIVE The comorbidity of somatic, anxious and depressive syndromes occurs in half of all primary care cases. As research on this overlap of syndromes in the general population is scarce, the present study investigated the prevalence of the overlapping syndromes and their association with health care use. METHOD A national general population survey was conducted between June and July 2012. Trained interviewers contacted participants face-to-face, during which, individuals reported their health care use in the previous 12months. Somatic, anxious and depressive syndromes were assessed using the Somatic Symptom Scale-8 (SSS-8), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 (GAD-2) and Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) respectively. RESULTS Out of 2510 participants, 236 (9.4%) reported somatic (5.9%), anxious (3.4%) or depressive (4.7%) syndromes, which were comorbid in 86 (3.4%) cases. The increase in the number of syndromes was associated with increase in health care visits (no syndrome: 3.18 visits vs. mono syndrome: 5.82 visits vs. multi syndromes: 14.16 visits, (F(2,2507)=149.10, p<0.00001)). Compared to each somatic (semi-partial r2=3.4%), anxious (semi-partial r2=0.82%) or depressive (semi-partial r2=0.002%) syndrome, the syndrome overlap (semi-partial r2=6.6%) explained the greatest part of variance of health care use (change_inR2=11.2%, change_inF(3,2499)=112.81, p<0.001.) CONCLUSIONS: The overlap of somatic, anxious and depressive syndromes is frequent in the general population but appears to be less common compared to primary care populations. To estimate health care use in the general population the overlap of somatic, anxious and depressive syndromes should be considered.

Depression screening with patient-targeted feedback in cardiology: DEPSCREEN-INFO randomised clinical trial

BACKGROUND International guidelines advocate depression screening in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and other chronic illnesses, but evidence is lacking. AIMS To test the differential efficacy of written patient-targeted feedback v. no written patient feedback after depression screening. METHOD Patients with CHD or hypertension from three cardiology settings were randomised and screened for depression (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01879111). Compared with the control group, where only cardiologists received written feedback, in the intervention group both cardiologists and patients received written feedback regarding depression status. Depression severity was measured 1 month (primary outcome) and 6 months after screening. RESULTS The control group (n = 220) and the patient-feedback group (n = 155) did not differ in depression severity 1 month after screening. Six months after screening, the patient-feedback group showed significantly greater improvements in depression severity and was twice as likely to seek information about depression compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS Patient-targeted feedback in addition to screening has a significant but small effect on depression severity after 6 months and may encourage patients to take an active role in the self-management of depression.

Base Rates of Depressive Symptoms in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease: An Individual Symptom Analysis.

Background Major depression is common in coronary heart disease (CHD) but challenging to diagnose. Instead of focusing on the overall diagnosis of depression, base rates of depressive symptoms could facilitate screening and management of psychopathology in CHD. The present study investigates the frequency of individual depressive symptoms in CHD and their impact on cardiac and subjective health. Methods In total, 1337 in- and outpatients with CHD were screened for depressive symptoms with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) at three different cardiac treatment sites. Tables stratified by age and gender were designed to illustrate base rates of depressive symptoms. Multiple regression analyses adjusted for sociodemographic and clinical data were conducted to test associations between individual depressive symptoms and quality of life as well impairment caused angina pectoris and dyspnea. Results During the last 14 days, more than half of patients reported a loss of energy (74.9%, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 70.6–79.2), sleeping problems (69.4%, 95% CI: 64.9–74.0), loss of interest (55.7%, 95% CI: 50.8–60.7). In contrast, psychomotor change (25.6%, 95%CI: 21.3–30.0), feelings of failure (21.9%, 95%CI: 17.7–26.0), suicidal ideations (14.1%, 95%CI: 10.7–17.6) were less frequently reported. Depending on the outcome, only particular depressive symptoms were highly associated with low quality of life and impairment caused by angina pectoris and dyspnea. Loss of energy was the only depressive symptom that reliably predicted all three outcomes. Conclusions Depressive symptoms in CHD are frequent but vary widely in terms of frequency. Findings underline the differential effects of individual depressive symptoms on cardiac health. Presented base rates of depressive symptoms offer clinicians a new way to judge the severity of individual depressive symptoms and to communicate individual PHQ-9 profiles with patients with respect to gender, age, cardiac symptoms and quality of life.

Depression screening with patient-targeted feedback in cardiology: The cost-effectiveness of DEPSCREEN-INFO

Background Although depression is common in patients with heart disease, screening for depression is much debated. DEPSCREEN-INFO showed that a patient-targeted feedback in addition to screening results in lower depression level six months after screening. The purpose of this analysis was to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis of DEPSCREEN-INFO. Methods Patients with coronary heart disease or arterial hypertension were included. Participants in both groups were screened for depression. Participants in the intervention group additionally received a patient-targeted feedback of their result and recommended treatment options. A cost-utility analysis using quality-adjusted life years (QALY) based on the EQ-5D was performed. The time horizon was 6 months. Resource utilization was assessed by a telephone interview. Multiple imputation using chained equations was used. Net-benefit regressions controlled for prognostic variables at baseline were performed to construct cost-effectiveness acceptability curves. Different sensitivity analyses were performed. Results 375 participants (intervention group: 155; control group: 220) were included at baseline. After 6 months, in the intervention group adjusted total costs were lower (-€2,098; SE: €1,717) and more QALY were gained (0.0067; SD: 0.0133); yet differences were not statistically significant. The probability of cost-effectiveness was around 80% independent of the willingness-to-pay (range: €0/QALY–€130,000/QALY). The results were robust. Conclusions A patient-targeted feedback in addition to depression screening in cardiology is cost-effective with a high probability. This underpins the use of the patient-targeted feedbacks and the PHQ-9 that are both freely available and easy to implement in routine care.

Monitoring somatic symptoms in patients with mental disorders: Sensitivity to change and minimal clinically important difference of the Somatic Symptom Scale – 8 (SSS-8)

OBJECTIVE The SSS-8 is a brief questionnaire for the assessment of somatic symptom burden. This study examines its sensitivity to change and the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in patients with mental disorders. METHOD 55 outpatients with mental disorders completed the SSS-8 and measures of anxiety, depression, and disability before and after receiving treatment. Effect sizes and correlations between the change scores were calculated. The MCID was estimated using a one standard error of measurement threshold and the change in disability as an external criterion. RESULTS There was a medium decline in somatic symptom burden for the complete sample (n=55, dz=0.53) and a large decline in a subgroup with very high somatic symptom burden at baseline (n=11, dz=0.94). Decreases in somatic symptom burden were associated with decreases in anxiety (r=0.68, p<0.001), depression (r=0.62, p<0.001) and disability (r=0.51, p<0.001). The MCID was estimated as a 3-point decrease. CONCLUSION The SSS-8 is sensitive to change. A 3-point decrease reflects a clinically important improvement. Due to its brevity and sound psychometric properties, the SSS-8 is useful for monitoring somatic symptom burden.