Somatization and Personality Disorder Traits in Nonclinical Volunteers

In this study, the relationship between personality disorder traits and somatization was studied in 45 nonclinical volunteers. Personality disorder traits were assessed using a structured psychiatric interview and somatization was evaluated with a questionnaire. All DSM-III-R cluster B personality disorder traits (antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic) and dependent personality disorder traits were significantly correlated with somatization in males. After adjusting for type I error due to multiple tests all correlations remained significant except for dependent personality disorder traits. In females, narcissistic personality disorder traits were significantly correlated with somatization, although this correlation was not significant after adjusting for type I error. Combining the sample in a post hoc multiple regression analysis, narcissistic and antisocial personality traits together combined accounted for 32% of the variance in somatization in this nonclinical sample.