Department of Medical Statistics & Epidemiology, Hamad General Hospital and Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Libyan J Med. 2010 Jun 16;5. doi: 10.3402/ljm.v5i0.5266.
Medically unexplained somatic complaints are among the most common clinical presentations in primary care in developing countries and they are considerable burden for patients and health care system.
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of somatisation in comparison to psychologisation among a sample of Qatari patients who were visiting primary health care (PHC) centres and to investigate the clinical and socio-demographic characteristics of somatisers (STs) and psychologisers (PGs).
The survey was conducted among PHC Qatari patients during the period from January to July 2007. About 2,320 patients were approached, of whom 1,689 agreed to participate and responded to the questionnaire. Among the studied Qatari patients, 404 patients were identified for clinical interview. The first stage of the study was conducted with the help of general practitioners, using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. The second stage was carried out by a consultant using the Clinical Interview Schedule. A specific operational criterion was used to identify STs and PGs.
The prevalence rate of STs among the total studied sample was 12.4%, while the PGs were 11.5%. Among the identified psychiatric cases, the proportion of STs (52%) was higher than PGs (48%). Most of the diagnostic categories were more prevalent among PGs. The dissatisfaction at work and stressful life events within 12 months before the onset of the presenting symptoms were the three postulated determinants which were significantly more among STs than PGs.
The prevalence of somatised mental disorder was little higher than the psychologised mental disorder. The prevalence of somatisation and psychologisation is comparable with other reported studies from the Middle-East and Western countries. Dissatisfaction at work and stressful life events were significantly higher among STs than PGs.
在发展中国家的初级保健中，医学无法解释的躯体抱怨是最常见的临床表现之一，它们给患者和医疗保健系统带来了相当大的负担。
本研究旨在确定在访问初级保健 (PHC) 中心的卡塔尔患者样本中，躯体化与心理化的比例，并调查躯体化者 (STs) 和心理化者 (PGs) 的临床和社会人口统计学特征。
该调查于 2007 年 1 月至 7 月期间在 PHC 卡塔尔患者中进行。大约有 2320 名患者被接触，其中 1689 名同意参与并回答了问卷。在研究的卡塔尔患者中，有 404 名患者被确定进行临床访谈。研究的第一阶段是在全科医生的帮助下进行的，使用了 12 项一般健康问卷。第二阶段由顾问使用临床访谈表进行。使用特定的操作标准来识别 STs 和 PGs。
在总研究样本中，STs 的患病率为 12.4%，而 PGs 为 11.5%。在确定的精神病例中，STs 的比例（52%）高于 PGs（48%）。大多数诊断类别在 PGs 中更为常见。工作不满和发病前 12 个月内的生活压力事件是 STs 比 PGs 更为显著的三个假定决定因素。
躯体化精神障碍的患病率略高于心理化精神障碍。躯体化和心理化的患病率与从中东和西方国家报告的其他研究相当。工作不满和生活压力事件在 STs 中显著高于 PGs。
