PATIENTS IN INDIAN HOSPITALS - ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSES AND AFFECTIVE REACTIONS

Hospitals in India are characterised by urban bias, overcrowding, depe rsonalisation and routine treatment procedures. Lack of proper communi cation with medical staff further heightens patients' anxiety. Using a n interview schedule, patients' affective reactions to the stressful h ospital environment were studied. The six reaction categories taken in this study were: anger, anxiety, depression, helplessness, disengagem ent and rationalisation (in metaphysical terms). Data were collected o n 122 hospitalised patients. It was found that the characteristic resp onses of both male and female patients were depression, rationalisatio n and sense of helplessness. Gender differences in affective reactions were observed. Male patients showed less anger and anxiety than femal es, but were higher on disengagement and rationalisation.