Coping with psychosomatic symptoms: The buffering role of psychological flexibility and impact on quality of life

Individual differences in avoidant coping were hypothesized to exacerbate quality of life impairment associated with somatization and illness anxiety symptoms; psychological flexibility was expected to moderate this impairment. Individuals from a random community sample (N = 298; 182 females), who met screening criteria for somatization and illness anxiety, reported lower quality of life and psychological flexibility and greater avoidant coping compared to controls. Psychological flexibility significantly moderated the impact of somatization and illness anxiety on quality of life domains. Findings suggest that decreasing avoidant coping through therapy may be promising in mitigating the negative impact of these symptom categories.