Relational Discord in Urban Primary Care: Prevalence Rates and Psychiatric Comorbidities

• Published in: Journal of health care for the poor and underserved 2014-05, Vol.25 (2), p.913-929
• Main Authors: Woods, Sarah B, Priest, Jacob B, Fish, Jessica N, Rodriguez, José E, Denton, Wayne H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alcohol; Alcoholism - epidemiology; Anxiety; Anxiety - epidemiology; Anxiety - psychology; Anxiety-Depression; Cardiovascular disease; Chronic Disease - epidemiology; Chronic Disease - psychology; Chronic Disease - therapy; Comorbidity; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression - epidemiology; Drinking behavior; Family; Family Conflict - psychology; Female; Florida - epidemiology; Humans; Latent class analysis; Low income people; Male; Medical research; Medical service; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental Disorders - psychology; Mental Disorders - therapy; Middle Aged; Mortality; Patients; Population; Prevalence; Primary care; Primary health care; Primary Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Socioeconomic factors; Uninsured persons; Urban Population
• ISSN: 1049-2089; 1548-6869; 1548-6869
• DOI: 10.1353/hpu.2014.0101

The current study primarily assesses uninsured, low-income patients (n = 125) in a primary care practice. Despite the knowledge that family relationships affect the management and outcomes of chronic illness, the rates of relational discord among primary care patients are unknown. Findings reveal that 54% of patients met criteria for problematic family functioning, while 40% of those in a romantic relationship reported relationship distress. In addition, 67% reported depression, 32% reported clinical levels of anxiety, and 33% at-risk alcohol use. Researchers used latent class analysis to explore characteristics of the sample, which revealed four classes. Comparisons with prior research with similar populations are made and implications for behavioral health providers working within primary care are discussed.