An observational study in Somatic Symptoms, Medically Unexplained Symptoms and Somatoform Disorders, sponsored by Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris. Recruiting at 1 site in France. Open to participants aged 12 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-20.
Sponsored by Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris · Observational
This study aims to describe the course of successive care events that follow individuals with somatic symptom disorder until they are assessed by a specialized multidisciplinary team. Data is collected during interviews with subjects aged 12 to 25 years old accompanied by their parents. A biographical grid is used to retrospectively identify all care events that occurred from first symptoms until multidisciplinary assessment. Life events and symptoms are collected as well to explore how history of healthcare consumption is linked to other trajectories. A qualitative analysis of the recorded interviews aims to describe the subjective experience of this healthcare pathway.
Somatic symptom disorders (SSD), previously labelled Somatoform disorders, are known to challenge healthcare professionals and systems, as those common conditions reducing quality of life often lead to excessive referrals and investigations before adequate diagnosis and management. Although studies have proved multiple interventions to be effective and cost-effective in various clinical settings, little is known about the accurate healthcare utilization associated with SSD. Such analysis faces the complexity of SSD detection and labelling due to heterogeneous clinical presentations and disputed cross-disciplinary classifications. Even though healthcare is known to be a core theme of patient experience of SSD, the investigators lack data describing the trajectory of care and the expectations, perceived help and triggering events associated with healthcare services use. A better understanding of the healthcare pathway those patients follow will help implement evidence-based treatment effectively.
The aim of this study is to trace back the pathway of care that individuals follow before they eventually undergo a specialised multidisciplinary assessment.
This descriptive study relies on data retrospectively collected from patients and their parents during face-to-face interviews assisted by a biographical grid. Inclusion criteria for patients are to be aged 12 to 25 years old and to be diagnosed with SSD by a specialised multidisciplinary team. Variables measured to describe the healthcare pathway are chosen according to professional experience and literature review. They are collected alongside concomitant life events both to reduce memory bias and to explore determinants and effects of healthcare consumption as a secondary outcome. The subjective experience of this healthcare pathway described by patients and their parents is analysed qualitatively in the verbatim of the audio recorded interview.
71 studies on the registry are indexed under Medically Unexplained Symptoms; 22 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 36 is below the median of 300 across 17 observational studies indexed under Medically Unexplained Symptoms.
Browse Medically Unexplained Symptoms studies →Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris is the lead sponsor of 3,592 studies on the registry; 1,033 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Participants are selected among patients assessed in the recruiting centre, whatever their course after assessment.
The recruiting centre is an adolescent clinic which is part of a public teaching hospital in Paris, France. The centre provides inpatient and outpatient care delivered by a multidisciplinary team. Patients aged 11 to 18 can be referred to this centre by a healthcare professional or can directly access to care, regardless of their living area.
For each patient included, parents are asked to participate to research interviews to help map the healthcare pathway their child followed.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Criteria relating to the population studied:
Criteria relating to the additional population participating in the research:
- Being a parent of a subject who has received the diagnosis of somatic symptom disorder and derivatives (DSM 5) after specialized multidisciplinary evaluation at the Maison des Adolescents of Cochin Hospital (Maison de Solenn).
Exclusion Criteria:
Criteria relating to the population studied:
Criteria relating to the additional population participating in the research:
None
Patients aged 12 to 25 years old and diagnosed with SSD by a specialised multidisciplinary team
Other: Face-to-face interviews assisted by a biographical grid
Parents of an adolescent included
Other: Face-to-face interviews assisted by a biographical grid
Face-to-face interviews assisted by a biographical grid. Healthcare event of the adolescent : * medical specialist appointment * general practitioner appointment * emergency services use * hospital admission * diagnostic test * medication use * non-pharmacological treatment * nursing or physical therapy * alternative care Biographical of the adolescent : * Education event * Class/level * School * Attendance * Special arrangements * Grades * Off school education * Family event * Separation/union * Birth/death * Leave/Arrival * Location/Moving * Disease/accident * Peer events * Friendships * Love interests * Bullying * Leisure \& interests events * Activity * Frequency
Occurrence of healthcare events
Successive healthcare events of individuals with somatic symptom disorder, from first symptoms to specialised multidisciplinary assessment
Time frame: Day of inclusion
Raise of healthcare events occurrence
Raise of healthcare events occurrence following the occurrence of somatic symptoms. From first symptoms to specialised multidisciplinary assessment
Time frame: Day of inclusion
Raise of life events occurrence
From first symptoms to specialised multidisciplinary assessment
Time frame: Day of inclusion
Decrease of healthcare events occurrence
Decrease of healthcare events occurrence following the occurrence of somatic symptoms. From first symptoms to specialised multidisciplinary assessment
Time frame: Day of inclusion
Decrease of life events occurrence
From first symptoms to specialised multidisciplinary assessment
Time frame: Day of inclusion
Modification of somatic symptoms occurrence
From first symptoms to specialised multidisciplinary assessment
Time frame: Day of inclusion
Modification of life events occurrence
Modification of life events occurrence following healthcare. From first symptoms to specialised multidisciplinary assessment
Time frame: Day of inclusion
Qualitative analysis of the transcribed interviews
Identification of themes emerging from the qualitative analysis of the transcribed interviews
Time frame: Up to 24 months
Started Jun 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Jun 2028, 24 months after the start.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.
Contact study teamGet an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
Medically Unexplained Symptoms →
Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris →