Table 1.
The general practitioner’s causality assessment and management of psychological stress according to the patient’s sex and age
| Age and sex of the patients | Total | Female (ref) | Male | 18–34 yrs. (ref) | 35–54 yrs | 55–65 yrs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients | 785 | 551 | 234 | 167 | 464 | 154 | |
| GP assessed causes of stress | Work | 69% | 74% | 61%* | 63% | 71% | 69% |
| Family | 39% | 41% | 33% | 41% | 41% | 29%* | |
| Physical disease | 11% | 10% | 13% | 10% | 11% | 13% | |
| Other cause | 12% | 11% | 15%* | 20% | 9%* | 12% | |
| Unknown | 4% | 3% | 7%* | 5% | 3% | 7% | |
| Medication | Antidepressants | 30% | 29% | 35% | 22% | 32%* | 34%* |
| Benzodiazep or Z-drugs | 8% | 7% | 12%* | 6% | 8% | 12% | |
| Antipsychotics | 3% | 3% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 5% | |
| None of the above | 63% | 66% | 58% | 72% | 62% | 56%* | |
| Period of sick-leave due to the stress | 54% | 57% | 48%* | 44% | 58%* | 54% | |
| Counselling in general practice | 49% | 50% | 47% | 46% | 52% | 43% | |
| Referred to psychologist | 39% | 41% | 35% | 41% | 38% | 39% | |
| Referred to dpt. of occupational medicine | 6% | 7% | 5% | 3% | 7% | 7% | |
| Reported to OSHA | 7% | 7% | 5% | 4% | 8% | 6% | |
| Participated in municipality stress program | 8% | 9% | 3%* | 5% | 9% | 5% | |
* p < 0.05 compared to the reference (ref). OHSA, Occupational Safety- and Health-Administration