[Extended main family and mental disease in a rural health area]

To check the association between souche family and the incidence of mental illness.

A case-control study.

Health Rural Zone (Tineo-Asturias-Spain).

every person with a new diagnosis of mental illness who has been compiled (CIE-9-CM) the clinical records of the Mental Health Centre. Field-work from 1-1-1996 until 31-12-1997; they could be dead or alive and of fourteen or more years of age, including suicide and suicide attempts without clinical records in the mental health centre and excluding organic psychosis, mental illness caused by organic damage lesion and mentally handicapped (n = 162).

living people of fourteen or more years of age, with diagnosis of current mental illness, after more than one year since their discharge from a mental illness. They will mark five or less than five in the GHQ-28 scale. A systematic random sample was done among all patients registered by computer from the health centre (n = 378). We compiled information about: age, sex, family and personal backgrounds of mental illness, rural or urban context, marital status, education level, family structure and GHQ-28. We carried out univariant and bivariant analysis also we adjusted a logistic regression model (SPSSW7.1).

In the souche family we obtained a odds ratio equal 3.29 (95% CI, 1.69-6.43).

The souche family is a risk of mental illness. Research into dynamics and performance should be done.