Psychometric validation of the German version of the somatic symptom disorder-B criteria scale (SSD-12) in a primary care population with depression and anxiety: a COSMIN-guided analysis
Objective - Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) is common and often underdiagnosed in primary care, especially in patients with depression and anxiety. The SSD-12 is a self-report questionnaire assessing psychological features of SSD. This study aimed to validate the SSD-12 longitudinally in a primary ca...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
December 2025
|
| In: |
General hospital psychiatry
Year: 2025, Volume: 97, Pages: 3-10 |
| ISSN: | 1873-7714 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2025.09.001 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2025.09.001 Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016383432500180X 
|
| Author Notes: | Deborah van Eickels, Klara Henning, Michel Wensing, Hans-Christoph Friederich, Markus W. Haun |
| Summary: | Objective - Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) is common and often underdiagnosed in primary care, especially in patients with depression and anxiety. The SSD-12 is a self-report questionnaire assessing psychological features of SSD. This study aimed to validate the SSD-12 longitudinally in a primary care sample with depressive and/or anxiety symptoms, following COSMIN guidelines. - Methods - We conducted a secondary analysis of the PROVIDE-C trial, including 365 adults with moderate depressive and/or anxiety symptoms. Psychometric evaluation of the SSD-12 used data from three time points (baseline, 6, and 12 months). Factorial validity was assessed via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) comparing unidimensional and three-factor models. Measurement invariance was examined across gender, age, chronic illness, and study arms using multi-group and longitudinal CFA. Additional analyses included internal consistency (McDonald's Omega), test-retest reliability (ICC), measurement error (SEM, SDC), convergent validity (correlations with PHQ-9, GAD-7, RAS-G, SF-12, EQ-5D), and responsiveness (correlations of SSD-12 change scores with PHQ-ADS change). - Results - CFA supported a three-factor structure (cognitive, affective, behavioral) at all time points. Measurement invariance was confirmed across subgroups and longitudinally. The SSD-12 showed high internal consistency, adequate test-retest reliability, and good responsiveness. Construct validity showed moderate positive correlations with anxiety, and small positive correlations with depression. - Conclusion - The SSD-12 exhibits strong psychometric properties in psychologically burdened primary care patients and is suitable for screening and monitoring somatic symptom burden in both cross-sectional and longitudinal examinations. Further research should refine thresholds for clinically meaningful change and cut-off points across diverse patient groups to enhance clinical interpretability. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04316572. |
|---|---|
| Item Description: | Online verfügbar 4 September 2025, Version des Artikels 11 September 2025 Gesehen am 15.01.2026 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 1873-7714 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2025.09.001 |