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Greeks, British Greek Cypriots and Londoners: a comparison of morbidity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

V. G. Mavreas  and
P. E. Bebbington
V. G. Mavreas*
Affiliation:
MRC Social Psychiatry Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, London
P. E. Bebbington
Affiliation:
MRC Social Psychiatry Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, London
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr V. G. Mavreas, MRC Social Psychiatry Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF.
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Synopsis

This paper reports the results of a comparison of the rates of psychiatric disorder from three general population surveys in which the PSE-ID-CATEGO system was used for case-definition. These surveys were of an English sample in Camberwell, London, and of two Greek samples, the first in Athens, the second of Greek Cypriot immigrants living in Camberwell. The results show that the rates of psychiatric disorders in both Greek samples were somewhat higher than those of the Camberwell population, the differences being accounted for by higher rates of anxiety disorders, especially in women. Comparisons in terms of syndrome profiles showed that Greeks reported more symptoms of generalized anxiety than their English counterparts who, in their turn, reported higher rates of obsessive symptoms, and symptoms of social anxiety. The higher rates in the Greek samples were possibly due to an increased frequency of non-specific neurotic symptoms like worrying and tension. The results of other European community surveys with the PSE suggest that there might be a genuine and general North-South difference in the expression of psychological distress. Cultural differences in terms of personality traits and culturally sanctioned child rearing practices might account for the findings.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 18 , Issue 2 , May 1988 , pp. 433 - 442
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1988

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