Étude de l’immaturité psycho-affective chez un groupe de 83 malades psychiatriques

Abstract

Several authors have suggested that emotional immaturity could constitute a bad prognosis factor in psychiatric disorders. The aim of the sudy was to test this hypothesis using two groups of psychiatric subjects with or without emotional immaturity. Eighty three psychiatric out or inpatients were included in the study. Emotional immaturity was rated using the diagnosis criteria of Doutheau et al. (1985) including dependency, sexual immaturity and low level of frustration tolerance. 43.37 % of the patients filled out these criteria (95 % confidence interval: 32.71-54.03). The two groups were compared concerning qualitative (sex-ratio, employment...) and quantitative variables using CHI square or Student’s t tests. Depression and adaptive functioning were rated using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Professional and Social Functioning Assessment Scale (PSFAS). There were not significant differences between the two groups on the following variables: sex-ratio, age, previous histories of psychiatric or somatic disorders, psychiatric diagnosis. The percentage of unemployment was significantly higher in immature subjects (61.11 %) than in non immature subjects (34.04 %). The BDI and PSFAS scores were significantly higher and lower in immatures than in non immatures. When depression was controled using a covariance analysis the difference on the PSFAS score remained significant between the groups. Emotional immaturity constitutes a factor that increases the severity of psychiatric disorders. That effect is independent of the psychiatric diagnosis.