BACKGROUND: Although the association between somatic complaints and internalizing problems (anxiety, somatic anxiety and depression) is well established, it remains unclear whether the pattern of this relationship differs by gender and in different cultures. The aim of this study was to examine cross-cultural and gender-specific differences in the association between somatic complaints and internalizing problems in youth from the Czech Republic and Russia. METHODS: The Social and Health Assessment, a self-report survey, was completed by representative community samples of adolescents, age 12-17 years, from the Czech Republic (N = 4770) and Russia (N = 2728). RESULTS: A strong association was observed between somatic complaints and internalizing psychopathology. Although the levels of internalizing problems differed by country and gender, they increased together with and largely in a similar way to somatic complaints for boys and girls in both countries. CONCLUSION: The association between somatic symptoms and internalizing problems seems to be similar for boys and girls across cultures.

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit Department of Neuroscience Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden

Child Study Centre Yale University Medical School New Haven CT USA

Department of Child Psychiatry Charles University 2nd Faculty of Medicine University Hospital Motol Prague Czech Republic

Institute of Psychology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Brno Czech Republic

Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare UiT The Arctic University of Norway Tromsø Norway

Säter Forensic Psychiatric Clinic Säter Sweden

The Stockholm Centre for Health and Social Change Södertörn University Huddinge Sweden

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