Objectives The aim of this study was to identify associations between pneumo- or hemo-thorax presence and psychological distress in young males by using the Military Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MPI) test. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on data from 19-year-old examinees that were admitted to the Military Manpower Administration in Korea between February 2009 and January 2010. A total of 1955 young males were enrolled in this study. Among them, a normal volunteer control group (n=1561) included individuals without a pneumo- or hemo-thorax. The pneumo- or hemo-thorax group (n=394) included individuals with a pneumo- or hemo-thorax. The latter group was divided into two subgroups : Group A (treated with conservative care or chest tube insertion, n=341) and Group B (treated with wedge resection, n=53). Results We compared each of three groups (Control group, Group A, Group B) by using covariance analysis. The somatization subscale score within the neurosis category was significantly higher in Group A (p<0.001) than in the Control group, and there was a tendency toward a higher somatization score in Group B than in the Control group (p=0.073). The other score categories (validity scale ; anxiety, depression, and personality disorder subscales for neurosis scale ; and psychopath scale) showed no significant differences among the three tested groups. Conclusion Conservative care or chest tube insertion group was associated with higher somatization symptom scores than that in the control group. The wedge resection group had a tendency toward a higher somatization score than that in the control group. The result indicate that individuals with a history of pneumo- or hemo-thorax may be more concerned about their body shape and/or general condition than those without such a history. Supportive intervention and psychiatric education approaches may be useful in relieving somatic distress
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