Psychiatric morbidity in London's Greek-Cypriot immigrant community. I. Associations with sociodemographic variables.

Abstract

This article presents the results of a community survey of a random sample of Greek Cypriot immigrants in Camberwell, south London. The rates of psychiatric disorders according to the PSE-ID-CATEGO system and their association with demographic variables are reported. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders of level ID5 and above was 14.1%, within the range of the rates reported in most surveys using this instrument but higher than that in the local population. The presence of anxiety states was relatively increased. The rate for females (19.4%) was significantly higher than that for males (8.8%). No associations were found with age, generation, education or the presence of young children in the household. Marriage was associated with a lower rate of psychiatric disorders in males. Working class subjects had higher rates than their middle class counterparts. Lack of employment and the presence of physical problems was also associated with high rates of psychiatric disorders. The results of the study are discussed in the light of previous findings in the literature. It was possible to compare them with a similar subgroup in Athens and of the total population of Camberwell. Where the distribution of minor psychiatric illness differed clinically or demographically between the Athenian and London populations, the Greek Cypriots tended to resemble the former.