Effect of Health Locus of Control on Patients with Somatization Disorder

Health locus of control characterizes a patient’s tendency to regard health related events   as controllable by them or by external forces. From all the past researches it becomes evident that health locus of control have a strong effect on the health behaviour and outcomes of health. Somatization disorder is one disorder in which the primary complaint is about health, and for effective treatment planning assessing relationship between health locus of control and severity of somatization disorder can be beneficial. Aim: The aim of the present study was to determine the health locus of control in patients diagnosed with somatization disorder as per ICD-10. Method: Sample consisted of100 participants from a private clinic in New Delhi. The data was collected using Multidimensional health locus of control scale and Patient Health Questionnaire .The results obtained were analysed using descriptive statistics and linear regression. Result: Findings suggest that health locus of control predict the severity of somatization. The strongest predictors of severity of somatization were found to be internal health locus control. Conclusion: Higher the internal locus of control lower the severity of somatization.