Why the study?
Does perceived social support affect psychological distress in primary care attenders?
Does perceived social support affect psychological distress in primary care attenders?
Assessing social support in primary care may help identify patients vulnerable to psychological distress.
Low social support was associated with higher distress in primary care; leaves open causal effects and intervention benefits, requiring prospective studies.
BACKGROUND: Growing evidence has been collected about the high prevalence of psychological distress in primary care. The role of psychosocial variables, namely the role of support from the patients' interpersonal ties, has not been extensively explored. METHODS: The study investigated the relationship between perceived social support, as evaluated by the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and psychological distress, as measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory, in 1,341 primary care attenders. RESULTS: In comparison with highly supported patients, lowly supported subjects showed higher scores on distress dimensions (e.g. depression, anxiety, phobia) and a higher prevalence of psychological morbidity ('caseness' = 37.3 vs. 11%). CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that, in the setting of primary care, the GPs' assessment of their patients' social support system may be useful in identifying those more vulnerable to psychological stress.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Grassi et al. (2000) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: