Daily patterns of symptom reporting in families with adolescent children

Objectives. This study was designed to investigate how symptom reporting varies by time of day, day of the week, gender and generation. Design. Concurrent symptom reporting was assessed prospectively using a computer-assisted self-report method. Methods. A computer-assisted self-observation method was used to assess concurrent somatic complaints six times a day for 7 consecutive days. Parents and adolescents from 173 families (568 individuals) filled in questionnaires during a normal workweek. A generalized linear model approach for multi-level models was used to analyse the multiple daily observations. Results. Results show a curvilinear within-day pattern for the reporting of somatic complaints, such that complaints were reported most in the morning and evening and least in the middle of the day. On weekends, participants reported fewer complaints in the evening. Women reported more symptoms throughout the day. Adolescents show an earlier and more pronounced increase in symptom reporting towards the evening. In addition, a slight decline in symptom reporting over the observation period was observed. Conclusions. Symptom reporting changes throughout the day, and is influenced by gender, generation and day of the week.