Related Experiment Videos
Psychiatric morbidity in a military general practice.
Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps
|February 1, 1985
Summary
This study found that patients seeking medical attention had higher General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) scores than the general soldier population. Military personnel generally reported better mental health than civilians or dependants within the practice.
Area of Science:
- Psychological Medicine
- Military Health
- General Practice Epidemiology
Background:
- Assessing mental health morbidity in military populations is crucial for understanding healthcare needs.
- The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) is a widely used screening tool for detecting psychological distress.
- Military general practices serve diverse patient groups, including service personnel, dependants, and civilians.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate mental health morbidity using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) in different patient groups within a British Army General Practice.
- To compare GHQ scores between new patients, routine examinees, and a community sample of soldiers.
- To investigate potential differences in mental health indicators based on service status, civilian status, and military rank.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) to assess psychological morbidity.
- Recruited participants from three distinct groups: new practice attenders (Group 1, n=299), routine medical examination attenders (Group 2, n=80), and a community sample of soldiers (Group 3, n=446).
- Analyzed GHQ scores and percentage positive scores across groups, service status, and military rank.
Main Results:
- Patients presenting for consultation (Group 1) exhibited significantly higher GHQ scores than the community sample (Group 3).
- The community sample (Group 3) showed higher mean scores than individuals referred for routine medical examination (Group 2).
- Service personnel reported lower mean GHQ scores compared to dependants or civilians. Junior non-commissioned officers had lower scores than other ranks.
Conclusions:
- Individuals seeking medical consultation at the military general practice displayed higher levels of psychological distress compared to the general soldier population.
- Routine medical examinations may identify individuals with lower reported psychological morbidity.
- Mental health indicators vary within the military community, with differences observed by service status and rank.