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Social Relationships, Adversity and Neurosis: An Analysis of Prospective Observations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Scott Henderson
Scott Henderson*
Affiliation:
N.H. and M.R.C. Social Psychiatry Research Unit, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia 2600
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Summary

The effect of deficiencies in social relationships has been studied prospectively in a community sample. In the half who were exposed to the higher level of adversity, these deficiencies explained 30 per cent of the variance in neurotic symptoms four months later. They explained only 4 per cent in those with lower adversity. Contrary to expectation, it was not the lack of relationships, but perception of these as being inadequate under adversity, which had by far the stronger predictive power. This may mean that actual conditions in the immediate social environment are not important for neurosis. Instead, intrapsychic and personality factors may have a much stronger effect.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 138 , Issue 5 , May 1981 , pp. 391 - 398
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1981 

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