Length of residence, life change and psychiatric morbidity in an Australian urban population.

A component of a large population study of a random sample of 750 Canberra residents is described, in which length of residence in Canberra is related to the quality and quantity of recent life experiences, and to indices of minor psychiatric morbidity (the General Health Questionnair and the Zung Depression Scale). Life event frequency, but neither measure of morbidity, distinguished between persons with different lengths of residence in Canberra. It can be suggested that a random sample, containing an under-representation of migrants and persons moving from rural to urban environments, in whom the transition in shifting place of residence would be expected to be greatest, is an inappropriate sample to test hypotheses concerning length of residence and psychiatric morbidity, Future studies should give due emphasis to the adequate inclusion of these groups of persons.