Family emotional health: a survey of family practice patients.

As a step toward defining psychosocial areas in which resident training in family medicine is needed, this study assessed the concerns patients had about the emotional health of their families. A questionnaire was developed to survey the patient concerns (ie, worries or perceived problems) for the developmental, psychological, and social functioning of their families. Patients in three family practice settings were administered the questionnaire while waiting for their appointments. Sixty-four percent of the patients perceived one or more areas of concern in their families. Close to half (48.9 percent) had concerns about themselves. Concerns about the emotional well-being of spouses were identified by 39.5 percent of those having spouses, and for children, 38.2 percent of those having children. Also, 39.7 percent expressed concern about their parents' emotional health. Further, while only 3.5 percent of the patients were given a psychiatric diagnosis, 26.5 percent of the charts contained notes revealing psychosocial problems at some patient visit. The results point to a major need for family physicians to develop skills in child, adult, and family evaluation of psychosocial functioning.