Factores que intervienen en la producción de los problemas psicosociales

Abstract

Objective. To investigate personal and family variables involved in the appearance of psychosocial problems (PSP) and the role of stressful life events (SLE) and Social Network and Support in its genesis; and to construct a profile of a PSP patient. Design. Transversal, descriptive study. Setting. Almanjayar Health Centre, Granada, Spain. Participants. Three hundred fourteen patients over 18 selected by systematic sampling in ondemand consultation. Main measurements. Every patient had an interview, filling in the GHQ-28 (with scores ≥8 considered indicative of PSP), the family Apgar test (Family Function study), the Holmes-Rahe Social Readjustment Scale (SLE in the last year), the DUKE-UNC questionnaire (Social Support), and Social Network (number of people). The Structure and Stage of the Family Life Cycle, social-economic and cultural level, work and income were also determined. A descriptive analysis of each variable and its association with the GHQ-28 through the χ2 test were also conducted. To find what categories were associated independently with high scores on the GHQ, a multivariate analysis was carried out. Results. Categories of age (between 30 and 59 years old), gender (being a woman) and social-economic level (unskilled workers) entail greatest risk of PSP. Similarly, single-parent families, perception of family dysfunction, high levels of stress (OR=3.02; 95% CI, 1.76-5.18), and low social support affect PSP. Conclusions. The profile of a PSP patient in our setting is of a middle-aged woman forming part of a single-parent and/or dysfunctional family, who has suffered major SLEs and has insufficient social support.