[Anxiety about death in primary care: relationship with frequency of consultation and psychomorbidity of patients].

OBJECTIVES

To calculate the prevalence of psychological morbidity and anxiety about death among patients. To observe the association of these variables with the presence of chronic illness, consumption of psychiatric drugs and frequency of attendance.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional, descriptive study.

SETTING

Semi-urban primary care centre.

PATIENTS

The study was proposed to 281 patients and accepted by 226 over 18 years old, selected systematically from among 1829 people who attended for consultation between May and July 1999. We calculated 30% prevalence of psychological morbidity.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Face-to-face Interviews and questionnaires using the Goldberg Anxiety and Depression scales and Templer's scale of Anxiety about death. 63.7% women and 36.3% men responded, with an average age of 52.2 (SD 16.2). Positive Anxiety and Depression scale (prevalence of psychological morbidity) 55.3%; 61.8% in women and 43.9% in men (p = 0.009). Mean score on scale of anxiety about death 6.08 (SD 3.15); 6.66 in women (SD 2.67) and 5.05 in men (SD 2.67) (p < 0.0005). In over-attenders, anxiety about death was 6.61 (SD 3.23); and in those who are not, 5.81 (SD 3.10) (p = 0.074). The group with psychiatric morbidity had 38.4 mean visits (SD 27.28) against 35.5 (SD 22.59) for those without psychiatric morbidity (NS). In patients with psychiatric morbidity, the mean on the scale of anxiety about death was 7.51 (SD 3.33); and 5.33 (2.65) in patients without it (p < 0.0005).

CONCLUSIONS

High prevalence of psychiatric morbidity. The majority are women, who have a mean value of anxiety about death which is greater than men's. We found no association between anxiety about death and over-attendance. The patients with psychiatric morbidity are more anxious about death. Chronic illness, age and consumption of psychiatric drugs are linked to a greater use of the clinic. We only found a relationship between psychiatric morbidity and a greater demand for health-care among the over-70s.