Clinical phenomenology, somatic symptoms, and distress in Hispanic/Latino and European American youths with anxiety disorders

This study compared clinic-anxious Hispanic/Latino and European American youths (ages 6 to 17 years old) along sociodemographic and clinical variables. Groups were relatively similar, although significant differences emerged as a function of ethno-cultural and language choice (English, Spanish) used during the assessment. Within the English language choice group, Cuban American (CA) youths reported somatic symptoms as less distressing than non-Cuban American Hispanic/Latino (non-CA/HL) youths. Conversely, within the Spanish language choice group, CA youths reported somatic symptoms as more distressing than non-CA/HL youths. Also, parents in the European American and CA groups reported their youths as having less somatic symptoms than parents in the non-CA/HL group. Implications of findings are discussed, particularly regarding possible cultural significance of somatic symptoms.