Psychological problems in Christian and Moslem primary care patients in Greece.
OBJECTIVE
Psychiatric problems are often expressed through, or coexist with, somatic symptoms. Cultural factors may influence this association. This study aims to 1) estimate the prevalence of mental health problems in a sample of primary care attendees in a rural area of Greece, and 2) investigate the differences in psychiatric symptomatology among patients from different religious/cultural backgrounds.


METHODS
Over a three-month period, 300 consecutive adult patients (Christians and Moslems) at the rural Primary Care Health Centre of Iasmos in Thrace, Greece, were assessed with the 28-item General Health Questionnaire.


RESULTS
The probable prevalence of mental health problems was estimated at 32 percent. Only for a small minority of the patients (3.3 percent) psychological problems were the presenting complaint. Moslems scored significantly higher than Christians in the somatic complaints subscale (p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Mental health problems are common in primary care although they rarely constitute a reason for consultation. Sociocultural background may affect the presentation of psychological distress. Primary health care staff have a significant role in identifying hidden psychiatric morbidity.
Androutsopoulou
C
C
Primary Care Health Center, Iasmos, Greece.
Livaditis
M
M
Xenitidis
K I
KI
Trypsianis
G
G
Samakouri
M
M
Pastelmatzi
A
A
Tzavaras
N
N
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D002835:Christianity; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007514:Islam; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy