Life events, social interaction and psychiatric symptoms in general practice: a pilot study.
Thirty-two adult females who consulted a general practitioner with psychiatric training were assessed by questionnaires on first attendance and at follow-up 6 months later. Major life events and the degree of social support were of importance. Failure to improve was associated with major negative life events; in the absence of such events, improvement seemed likely to occur given a high degree of social support; major positive events appeared to be associated with improvement, regardless of the degree of social interaction. These factors, and the initial and final GHQ scores, are inter-related in a complex manner and it is suggested that these findings merit further investigation on a larger sample of patients.
D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000523:psychology*; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008016:Life Change Events; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects