Biomaterial Database

Psychological distress, social support and social support seeking: a prospective study among primary mental health care patients. 1995

E H Eurelings-Bontekoe, and R F Diekstra, and M Verschuur

Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Leiden, The Netherlands.

This study addresses the time ordering of both quantitative and qualitative social support variables, social support seeking and psychological distress. Number of contacts, perceived understanding, satisfaction, severity of network conflicts, social support seeking and symptomatology were assessed at two points in time: at the start of a short term behavioural therapy (T1) and six months later (T2). Severity of symptomatology at T2 was best predicted by the severity of symptomatology at referral and by the change in interpersonal problems. Social support-seeking was at both measurements unrelated to symptomatology. The number of contacts, satisfaction, understanding and social support seeking demonstrated high temporal stability, in contrast to symptomatology and interpersonal problems. A more fine-grained analysis demonstrated that of all social support variables, interpersonal conflicts were most strongly related to symptomatology, especially to interpersonal sensitivity and depression. It is concluded that interventions aimed in particular at relieving interpersonal sensitivity and interpersonal stress and at fostering interpersonal effectiveness may prove to be critical in breaking vicious circles.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009426	Netherlands	Country located in EUROPE. It is bordered by the NORTH SEA, BELGIUM, and GERMANY. Constituent areas are Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten, formerly included in the NETHERLANDS ANTILLES.	Holland,Kingdom of the Netherlands
D010555	Personality Inventory	Check list, usually to be filled out by a person about himself, consisting of many statements about personal characteristics which the subject checks.	Edwards Personal Preference Schedule,Myers-Briggs Type Indicator,Indicator, Myers-Briggs Type,Inventories, Personality,Inventory, Personality,Myers Briggs Type Indicator,Personality Inventories
D011320	Primary Health Care	Care which provides integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community. (JAMA 1995;273(3):192)	Primary Care,Primary Healthcare,Care, Primary,Care, Primary Health,Health Care, Primary,Healthcare, Primary
D011340	Problem Solving	A learning situation involving more than one alternative from which a selection is made in order to attain a specific goal.
D011446	Prospective Studies	Observation of a population for a sufficient number of persons over a sufficient number of years to generate incidence or mortality rates subsequent to the selection of the study group.	Prospective Study,Studies, Prospective,Study, Prospective
D011614	Psychotherapy, Brief	Any form of psychotherapy designed to produce therapeutic change within a minimal amount of time, generally not more than 20 sessions.	Short-Term Psychotherapy,Brief Psychotherapy,Psychotherapy, Short-Term,Solution-Focused Brief Therapy,Brief Psychotherapies,Brief Therapies, Solution-Focused,Brief Therapy, Solution-Focused,Psychotherapies, Brief,Psychotherapies, Short-Term,Psychotherapy, Short Term,Short Term Psychotherapy,Short-Term Psychotherapies,Solution Focused Brief Therapy,Solution-Focused Brief Therapies,Therapies, Solution-Focused Brief,Therapy, Solution-Focused Brief
D005190	Family	A social group consisting of parents or parent substitutes and children.	Family Life Cycles,Family Members,Family Life Cycle,Family Research,Filiation,Kinship Networks,Relatives,Families,Family Member,Kinship Network,Life Cycle, Family,Life Cycles, Family,Network, Kinship,Networks, Kinship,Research, Family
D005260	Female		Females