THE USE OF SOMATIC HOSPITAL CARE AMONG DIVORCED

• Published in: Scandinavian journal of social medicine. Supplement 1980-01, Vol.17, p.1-48
• Main Author: Nyström, Sune
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Divorce; Female; Hospitals, Community - utilization; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Morbidity; Sex Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; Sweden
• ISSN: 0301-7311

The presence of divorced persons in relation to that of non-divorced in somatic hospital wards and long-term care units has been studied for the age group 20-99 years during a 3-year period in a Swedish city with a population of 450,000. The average percentage of divorced was 6.1 in the male group and 7.1 among the women. Diagnoses were subdivided into the 17 groups on the WHO list. It was shown that, on the whole, there is a considerable overrepresentation of divorced in somatic care, specially among the males. Overrepresentation is particularly strong in this sex as regards diagnoses in the groups Accidents and Poisonings etc., in Diseases of the Blood, in Infective Diseases and for Mental Disorders (in somatic care) and fairly high in other groups, except for Neoplasms, Genito-urinary Diseases and Congenital Anomalies. In the female group, there is an overrepresentation of 50-100% for Infective Diseases, for Mental Disorders and for Diseases of the Skin. The results warrant an analysis on the level of individual diagnoses (see part B ). The presence of divorced persons in relation to that of the other marital status in somatic hospital wards and long-term care units has been studied in a Swedish city with a population of 450,000 during a 3-year period. The patients were subdiveded according to main diagnosis on the total figure level on the WHO list. A strong overrepresentation among divorced is found, for example, for tuberculosis (men), gonococcal infections (women), cancer of the pancreas (men), cancer of the uterus and ovary, diabetes (men), iron-deficiency anaemia, alcoholism, neurosis (women), epilepsy, glaucoma, ischemic heart disease (men), cerebro-vascular disease, chronic bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia (men), septum deviation (men), gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer (women), cirrhosis of the liver, non-malignant pancreas disease (men), cholelithiasis (women), salpingo-oophoritis, renal infection (women), chronic nephritis (men), abnormal menstruation, provoked and spontaneous abortion, extrauterine pregnancy, psoriasis, eczema (men), back-pain syndrome (men), osteoarthroses (including lumbo-sacral spondylarthrosis) (men), dislocation of the intervertebral disc (women), fractures, commotio and contusio cerebri, subarachnoidal, subdural and extradural posttraumatic haemorrhage, traumatic pneumo- and haemothorax, several wounds, contusions and burns. A discussion was held on the nature and direction of the relationship and on the background of sex dif