[Quantification of the stress reactivity in psychiatric patients admitted to an acute care unit]

We studied stress reactivity in a sample of 48 psychiatric acute inpatients of a psychiatric ward in a general hospital. Stress Reactivity Questionnaire (IRE-32 items) was used, this instrument supplies an index of the subject's individual response to stressful situations. The mean Stress Reactivity Index of the sample was 13.02 (s.d. 6.31), which is significantly higher than that found by us in general population--9.67 (s.d. 5.47)--and similar to the score obtained by psychiatric outpatients in our Department--13.30 (s.d. 6.07). According to gender, women reached the highest score (13.76). The various scores obtained in the Stress Reactivity Index by the different diagnosis are outlined.