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Social Bonds in the Epidemiology of Neurosis: A Preliminary Communication

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Scott Henderson ,
D. G. Byrne ,
P. Duncan-Jones ,
Sylvia Adcock ,
Ruth Scott  and
G. P. Steele
Scott Henderson
Affiliation:
National Health and Medical Research Council, Social Psychiatry Research Unit, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia 2600
D. G. Byrne
Affiliation:
National Health and Medical Research Council, Social Psychiatry Research Unit, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia 2600
P. Duncan-Jones
Affiliation:
National Health and Medical Research Council, Social Psychiatry Research Unit, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia 2600
Sylvia Adcock
Affiliation:
National Health and Medical Research Council, Social Psychiatry Research Unit, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia 2600
Ruth Scott
Affiliation:
National Health and Medical Research Council, Social Psychiatry Research Unit, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia 2600
G. P. Steele
Affiliation:
National Health and Medical Research Council, Social Psychiatry Research Unit, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia 2600
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Summary

In a random sample of the general population (N = 142) a strong inverse relationship was found between social bonds and the presence of neurotic symptoms. This association was strongest in the case of close affectional ties. Together, measures of social bonds accounted for 47 per cent of the variance in neurotic symptoms. While there is likely to be contamination between the two sets of variables, and while the data do not indicate the direction of causality, these findings constitute an aetiological lead which should be pursued.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 132 , Issue 5 , May 1978 , pp. 463 - 466
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1978 

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