Psychiatric Disorder in Women from an Edinburgh Community: Associations with Demographic Factors

Abstract

The prevalence of psychiatric disorder was determined according to alternative diagnostic criteria in a random sample of 576 women from an Edinburgh community. Whichever diagnostic system was applied, significantly higher rates of disorder were found among the working class, the unemployed and women who were divorced, widowed, separated or cohabiting; in the subgroup of women who met all these conditions, up to half were found to satisfy the diagnostic criteria. The observed prevalence estimates can be explained as the effects of each demographic factor acting independently, no interaction effects being needed. Our results are discussed in relation to the findings of others, and in terms of the statistical issues involved.