J. Neeleman et al., The distribution of psychiatric and somatic ill health: Associations with personality and socioeconomic status, PSYCHOS MED, 63(2), 2001, pp. 239-247
Objective: Psychiatric and somatic disorders frequently co-occur in the sam
e individuals. We examined whether this happens because these types of morb
idity share risk factors or because they are risk factors for each other. M
ethods: Negative binomial regression was used to examine, in a random sampl
e of Dutch adults (N = 7076), cross-sectional associations of sociodemograp
hic and personality variables like income and neuroticism with the presence
, over 1 year, of 30 somatic and 13 psychiatric disorders, with the latter
diagnosed by structured interview. We examined to what extent the links of
these variables with these two morbidity types were independent of each oth
er. Results: This population experienced 5050 somatic and 2438 psychiatric
disorders during the preceding year. Subjects reporting more somatic disord
ers had more psychiatric disorders. Neuroticism, followed closely by low ed
ucational attainment, was the strongest correlate of both morbidity types.
After adjustment for all other covariates including somatic morbidity, the
number of psychiatric diagnoses rose 1.84-fold (95% confidence interval = 1
.74-1.94) per standard deviation increase in neuroticism. Likewise, adjuste
d for all other covariates including psychiatric diagnoses, 1.42 (95% confi
dence interval = 1.35-1.50) times more somatic disorders were reported per
standard deviation increase in neuroticism. Conclusions: Personal features
like neuroticism and low educational attainment are linked with psychiatric
and with somatic morbidity. These links are largely independent. Although
this study was cross-sectional, the results suggest that these different ty
pes of morbidity may have overlapping etiologies.