Psycho-social determinants for psychiatric hospitalisation for neurotic disorders in women--a case-control study

Much has been written about the determinants of psychiatric hospitalisation, chiefly for psychotic patients in an emergency. This paper reports the results of a comparative study between in-patients and pathological subjects from the general population. The aim of this work is to evidence the psycho-social determinants of hospitalisation in a psychiatric department for neurotic disorders.

This study was conducted on a socially fairly privileged population which was, therefore, also fairly homogeneous. The subjects from the two groups were assessed clinically using standardised instruments both for diagnosis (SCAN) and for psycho-social variables (Stressful Life Events: LEDS; Social Support and Self-esteem: Pearlin checklist; care itinerary).

Following the analysis of frequency and a multivariate logistic regression analysis, four risk factors for hospitalisation for neurotic disorders were evidenced, including: severity of neurotic disorders, taking a long time to consult a specialist after first onset of anxiety disorders, poor social support, and having experienced one or more provoking agents (Brown and Harris methodology) in the year previous to hospitalisation.

The severity of the mental pathology is largely responsible for hospitalisation in neurotic patients as it is in psychotic patients, but it is not the only determinant for hospitalisation.