The relationship between anxiety symptoms and somatic disorders in young people aged 15-21 years

Background: Mental health issues remain a significant concern in our society, ranging from mild to severe conditions. This study aims to document anxiety and somatic symptoms as two disorders that manifest to varying degrees in individuals, with the primary objective of exploring the relationship between these symptoms. Objective: This study aims to explore the relationship between anxiety symptoms and somatic disorders in young people aged 15-21. Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative study design was employed. The sample consisted of 150 respondents divided into two educational levels: high school and university students. Stratified random sampling was used to ensure proportional representation of the target population. Participants were recruited via email invitations. Data were collected through standardized instruments measuring anxiety and somatic symptoms. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Statistics version 27.0. Results: The sample included 73 girls (48.7%) and 77 boys (51.3%), with an average age of 17.13 years (SD = 2.18). Educational distribution comprised 42 participants (28.0%) in 10th grade, 43 (28.7%) in 11th grade, 1 (0.7%) in 12th grade, 53 (35.3%) in first-year undergraduate studies, 1 (0.7%) in second year, and 10 (6.7%) in third year. Of the 147 participants reporting residence, 49 (33.1%) lived in urban areas, while 98 (66.2%) resided in rural areas. The average anxiety score was 0.76 (SD = 0.6) and the average somatic symptom score was 0.57 (SD = 0.35). A significant positive correlation was found between anxiety and somatic symptoms (r = 0.725, p = 0.000).

Keywords: Somatic disorder, anxiety disorder, age, education level, gender, mental health.

Besarta Sadriu, Emrush Thaçi, The relationship between anxiety symptoms and somatic disorders in young people aged 15-21 years in "RICERCHE DI PSICOLOGIA" Online First/2026, pp 1-15, DOI: 10.3280/rip2025oa22324