SEX-DIFFERENCES IN MENTAL-ILLNESS - A COMMUNITY STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF PHYSICAL HEALTH AND SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS

This paper examines sex differences in psychiatric morbidity, using da ta from a community sample. The PSE-CATEGO-ID system was used to evalu ate psychopathology. Six sociodemographic factors and physical illness were taken as independent variables. Females exhibit both a significa ntly higher psychiatric morbidity than males and a predominance of syn dromes closely related to depression (SD; OD syndromes) and anxiety (G A; SA; TE; IT syndromes). Logistic modelling analysis, carried out sep arately for each sex, yielded different models. Psychiatric illness in men was best predicted by physical illness, unemployment and the inte raction between the two. In contrast, physical illness emerged, in wom en, as the only factor exerting significant effects on psychiatric mor bidity.