Journal of Psychosomatic Research
Volume 68, Issue 1 , Pages 37-45, January 2010

Symptoms, personality traits, and stress in people with mobile phone-related symptoms and electromagnetic hypersensitivity

  • Amanda Johansson

      Affiliations

    • Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden. Tel.: +46 0 90 785 27 89; fax: +46 0 90 77 96 30.
    • ,
  • Steven Nordin

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
    • Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Örebro University Hospital, Örebro, Sweden
    • ,
  • Marina Heiden

      Affiliations

    • Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, University of Gävle, Umeå, Sweden
    • ,
  • Monica Sandström

      Affiliations

    • Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

Received 16 October 2008; received in revised form 1 June 2009; accepted 30 June 2009. published online 05 October 2009.

Abstract 

Objective

Some people report symptoms that they associate with electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure. These symptoms may be related to specific EMF sources or to electrical equipment in general (perceived electromagnetic hypersensitivity, EHS). Research and clinical observations suggest a difference between mobile phone (MP)-related symptoms and EHS with respect to symptom prevalence, psychological factors, and health prognosis. This study assessed prevalence of EMF-related and EMF-nonrelated symptoms, anxiety, depression, somatization, exhaustion, and stress in people with MP-related symptoms or EHS versus a population-based sample and a control sample without EMF-related symptoms.

Methods

Forty-five participants with MP-related symptoms and 71 with EHS were compared with a population-based sample (n=106) and a control group (n=63) using self-report questionnaires.

Results

The EHS group reported more symptoms than the MP group, both EMF-related and EMF-nonrelated. The MP group reported a high prevalence of somatosensory symptoms, whereas the EHS group reported more neurasthenic symptoms. As to self-reported personality traits and stress, the case groups differed only on somatization and listlessness in a direct comparison. In comparison with the reference groups, the MP group showed increased levels of exhaustion and depression but not of anxiety, somatization, and stress; the EHS group showed increased levels for all of the conditions except for stress.

Conclusion

The findings support the idea of a difference between people with symptoms related to specific EMF sources and people with general EHS with respect to symptoms and anxiety, depression, somatization, exhaustion, and stress. The differences are likely to be important in the management of patients.

Keywords: Anxiety, Environmental illness, Environmental intolerance, Symptomatology, Stress

To access this article, please choose from the options below

Login to an existing account or Register a new account.

  • Purchase this article for 30.00 USD (You must login/register to purchase this article)

    Online access for 24 hours. The PDF version can be downloaded as your permanent record.

  • Subscribe to this title

    Get unlimited online access to this article and all other articles in this title 24/7 for one year.

  • Claim access now

    For current subscribers with Society Membership or Account Number.

  • Visit SciVerse ScienceDirect to see if you have access via your institution.
 

PII: S0022-3999(09)00263-3

doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2009.06.009

Journal of Psychosomatic Research
Volume 68, Issue 1 , Pages 37-45, January 2010

Article Tools