Correlates of psychiatric morbidity in patients with leprosy.
The relationship between psychiatric morbidity in 30 leprosy patients under treatment as assessed by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and certain variables of their illness and psychosocial factors is examined in this paper. Physical disability and duration of illness were the illness variables considered; knowledge and adjustment were the psychosocial variables included. Bell's Adjustment Inventory (BAI) measured the latter, psychiatric morbidity was positively correlated with physical disability (p < 0.05), knowledge about the disease (p < 0.01) and social, emotional and health maladjustment (p < 0.01), but not with duration of illness (p > 0.05). The importance of appropriate knowledge, social stigma and physical disability in leprosy is discussed in addressing the psychiatric morbidity of leprosy patients.
Bharath
S
S
National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore 560 029. srikala@nimhans.kar.nic.in
Shamasundar
C
C
Raghuram
R
R
Subbakrishna
D K
DK
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged