title: Mental health and medical consultation in primary care settings.
abstract: This paper examines the effect of psychiatric morbidity, as measured by the GHQ-60, on the probability of being in contact with a primary care physician, and the socio-demographic factors which influenced this effect. We found that the presence of psychiatric morbidity emerged as a major determinant of primary care utilization in both sexes, and about one-sixth of consultations in men and one-fifth of consultations in women could be attributed to it. Logistic modelling was used to investigate the joint effect on general practitioner consultation of psychiatric morbidity and seven socio-demographic variables. Sex, age, and psychiatric morbidity exerted independent, but not interactive, effects on consultation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, National Hospital Valdecilla, Cantabria Medical School, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Vázquez-Barquero
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Diez-Manrique
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Peña
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010556:Personality Tests; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012803:Sick Role; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology