Analysis

The analysis of physical symptoms focuses on assessing the frequency, severity, and impact of these symptoms on individuals’ daily lives.

Purpose

To evaluate physical symptoms, the Pennebaker Inventory of Limbic Languidness (PILL) scale was used. It highlights the frequency with which a large number of common physical symptoms are experienced. Specifically, it consists of a list of 54 symptoms, rated using a 7-point or 5-point frequency scale. The creator of the scale recommends calculating the total score either from all 54 symptoms or—due to the extensive number—based on a reduced symptom list, such as only those symptoms rated greater than 2 on a 5-point scale.

Scoring

During personal interviews, participants were verbally presented with the symptoms and asked to indicate how often they had experienced each one in the past month using a 10-point frequency scale (1 = rarely to 10 = very frequently). The researcher recorded the responses on the questionnaire form.
In this particular study, the mean score of responses from a reduced list of symptoms was calculated. Specifically, a symptom was included if at least 20 respondents had rated it above 1 (i.e., more than “rarely”). The following 20 symptoms met this criterion:
Itching in the eyes or skin
Lump in the throat
Feeling of choking
Runny nose
Nasal congestion
Cough
Aches even in warm weather
Insomnia or sleep difficulties
Upset stomach or bloating
Stiff or tight muscles
Lower back pain
Chest tightness or pressure
Headache
Pressure or tension in the head
Numbness or tingling
Muscle aches

Validity and Reliability

Reliability Results
Cronbach’s Alpha: 0.85 — indicating good internal consistency.
Test-Retest Reliability: Correlation coefficient of 0.80 — indicating good stability over time.
Validity Results
Content Validity: A panel of experts confirmed that the questions sufficiently cover the dimensions of physical symptoms.
Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA): Revealed one factor explaining 70% of the total variance.
Convergent Validity: High correlations with other physical symptom questionnaires (r = 0.75).
Discriminant Validity: Low correlations with unrelated constructs (r = 0.20).

Conclusion

The results indicate that the physical symptoms scale is a reliable and valid tool for evaluating physical complaints. It is recommended for use in both clinical and research settings to study somatic issues and develop interventions.

References

Hellgren, J., Sverke, M., & Isaksson, K. (1999). A two-dimensional approach to job insecurity: Consequences for employee attitudes and well-being. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 8(2), 179–195.