Life events, physical illness and psychiatric morbidity

Sixty patients of pulmonary tuberculosis selected through a specified selection procedure from T. B. Hospital, Bikaner, were assessed by P. S. E. (Present State Examination). An open ended life event schedule was used to record the life events of past one year, which had some impact on the patient. Results indicate that the patients who had experienced life events had significantly more psychiatric symptom scores as compared to those who did not report a life event (p<.001). Further analysis showed that the significant difference were among the patients, who had more than one life events as compared to those who had no life event or only one life event (p<.01). Implications of the findings are discussed.