Stressful Life Events and Minor Psychiatric Disorders: An Estimate of the Population Attributable Fraction in a Brazilian Community-Based Study

Abstract

Objective: A population-based survey was conducted in Pelotas, southern Brazil, to assess the specific and the combined contribution of life events and socioeconomic factors on the overall prevalence of minor psychiatric disorders (MPD). Methods: The study covered a representative sample of the population aged fifteen years or older living in the urban area of the city. Using multi-stage sampling, a total of thirty census tracts and 600 households were selected. A standardized questionnaire assessed the presence of MPD (using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire—SRQ-20), the occurrence of life events (death of a relative, a relative with a chronic disease, loss of employment, divorce, migration, accident, and robbery/assault), and socioeconomic factors. Results: The prevalence of MPD was 22.7 percent (17.9% males and 26.5% females) and increased with age. Significant linear relationships with education and income were observed: the less education and income, the higher the prevalence of MPD. All life events, except migration and accident, were positively associated with MPD. People who experienced divorce in the last year had a prevalence of MPD three times higher than those who had not. The likelihood of MPD increased linearly with the number of life events. The highest proportion of Population Attributable Fraction for any life events was 24 percent. Conclusions: These data suggest that life events can explain a substantial proportion of MPD and with socioeconomic factors may be related to the onset of MPD.