[Epidemiology of psychological distress: a population-based cross-sectional study]
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Published on: February 22, 2018
Felipe Sparrenberger1, Iná dos Santos, Rosângela da Costa Lima
1Departamento de Medicina, Universidade Regional de Blumenau, Blumenau, SC, Brasil.
Objective:
To determine the prevalence and distribution of psychological distress in an urban adult population.
Methods:
A total of 3,942 individuals over 20 years old in the city of Pelotas, Brazil, were studied. Psychological distress was defined using an indicator of well-being, the Faces Scale, and self-perception of nervousness. Chi-square test was performed to assess the association with sociodemographics.
Results:
Prevalence of psychological distress was 14% when using the Faces Scale and 31.8% through self-perception of nervousness.
Conclusions:
Older, poor, and lower education women groups were the ones that showed a higher prevalence of distress.
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