Association between Psychopathological Factors and Joint Hypermobility Syndrome in a Group of Undergraduates from a French University

OBJECTIVE: To explore the frequency of Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (JHS) among university students and assess whether a relationship exists between this collagen condition and certain psychological variables. METHOD: A cross-sectional sample of 365 undergraduates at a French university was assessed with the Brighton's criteria for JHS, Somatosensory Amplification Scale (SSAS), Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). RESULTS: 39.5% of the participants met Brighton's criteria for JHS. Scores of somatosensory amplification were higher among participants with JHS (t = -2.98; p = 0.03) independent of gender. Female participants with JHS had higher scores in depression (t = -2.01; p = 0.04) and general anxiety (t = -2.35; p = 0.01) than women without JHS. The percentage of males with a medium/high level of social anxiety was greater among participants with JHS (78.6% vs. 41.7%; chi2 = 6.18;p = 0.01). Logistic regression demonstrated that male sex and low level of somatosensory amplification are variables contrary to the presence of JHS. CONCLUSION: JHS is a frequent condition among young people evaluated. JHS is associated with psychological distress and higher levels of somatosensory amplification.