Somatization, psychological distress, and self-harming behavior in emerging adulthood: Do positive future expectations help?

Context and relevance. Emerging adulthood as a special period of development associated with a large number of vulnerabilities and opportunities needs psychological research and interpretation. Objective. The aim of this study was to explore the role of positive future expectations in coping with somatization, psychological distress, and self-harming behavior. Methods and materials. The participants were 398 students of Russian universities, including 104 males and 294 females aged 18 to 22 years (M = 18.33; Me = 18 years; SD = 0.82). The participants completed a questionnaire consisting of scales for assessing positive future expectations (Future Expectations Scale for Adolescents, FESA), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, GAD-7), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9, PHQ-9), somatization (Somatic Symptom Scale-8, SSS-8), and self-harm experience (Self-Harm Inventory, SHI). Results. The results showed that 49% of the participants experienced somatic symptoms, 32% complained of anxiety symptoms, 38% reported depressive symptoms, and 54% admitted to at least a single experience of self-harming behavior. Positive expectations about work and education were correlated with rarer reports of somatization, psychological distress, and self–harming behavior, and positive expectations about health were correlated with rarer and less intense somatic, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Knowledge of these patterns can be used in the practice of psychological testing and counseling.

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