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Family Practice Advance Access published online on May 16, 2005
Family Practice, doi:10.1093/fampra/cmi038
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© The Author (2005). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
Received April 28, 2004
Accepted April 1, 2005

Article

The worried young adult as a primary care patient

Virpi Laakso 1*, Päivi M. Niemi 2, Matti Grönroos 3, Sargo Aalto 4, and Hasse Karlsson 5

1 Primary Health Care Centre, PL 42, FIN-30101 Forssa, Finland
2 Department of Teacher Education, FIN-20014 University of Turku, Finland
3 Department of Statistics, FIN-20014 University of Turku, Finland
4 Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, FIN-20014 University of Turku, Finland
5 Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki, Finland

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Virpi Laakso, E-mail: virpi.laakso{at}utu.fi


  Abstract

Background. Being worried about one's complaint is common among primary health care patients. Persistent and intensive worry may, however, have negative consequences.

Objectives. We explored complaint-related worry and factors associated with it among 18- to 39-year-old primary health care patients.

Methods. Sixty-two patients evaluated the intensity of their worry and the severity of their complaint before seeing their GP. They were also interviewed about their background and filled in questionnaires about general tendency to illness-related worry and psychiatric symptoms.

Results. The intensity of worry varied greatly. One fourth of the patients reported intense worry. A general tendency to worry about health and hostile reactions were associated with both the intensity of worry and the severity appraisals. The patient's education and the duration and perceived course of the complaint also played a role in worrying and in the perceptions of the severity of the complaint.

Conclusions. Some psychological characteristics may dispose patients to intensive worrying and pessimistic appraisals of their complaint. This challenges the GP to pay attention to the patients' perspectives and knowledge. Careful elucidation of the patients' experiences of their complaints is especially indicated in the case of complaints of long duration and a stable course.

Keywords: Primary health care; worry; young adult patients.
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