Relationship between psychosocial stress and mental disease: a study the community

Abstract

Introduction: We investigate the relationship between life events stress and psychiatric disorders in a random sample of urban population older than 16 in the Tenerfe Island.

Method: A two-stage cross-sectional study was conducted. In the first stage 660 persons were interviewed using the GHQ-28 as a screening questionnaire and the DSM-III-Axis IV for the psychosocial stressors valoration. In the second stage were interviewed all persons screening positive on the GHQ and similar number of the screening negative ones, using the Clinical Interview Schedule.

Results: The psychosocial stressors prevalence was 36,5% and the pathology psychiatric prevalence was 12,90%: among 3.3% of the people who do not refer psychiosocial stress and 29.5% of the people who do refer.

Conclusion: We confirmed a significant relationship between psychosocial stress and psychiatric disorders in both sexes.