title: Relationship between general practitioners' attitudes and methods of dealing with psychosocial problems.
abstract: The relationship between general practitioners' attitudes and the methods they use when dealing with psychosocial problems was investigated using a questionnaire that was answered by a group of 30 general practitioners. The results showed that: (1) the doctor's desire to help is in general associated with the need to be appreciated; (2) when treating sexual problems, the giving of information is associated with a desire to change the patient; (3) when dealing with problems associated with chronic illness, the giving of encouragement to the patient is accompanied by a desire to give advice. The findings suggest that the way in which a general practitioner treats psychosocial problems depends partly on the type of problem and partly on his own attitude.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Braams
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Duivenvoorden
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Dokter
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Trijsburg
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Verhage
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005194:Family Practice; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012940:Social Problems