Domain-specific associations between disability and depression, anxiety, and somatization in primary care patients

This study explores the associations between different disability domains and the most prevalent symptoms of mental disorders in primary care patients (i.e. depression, anxiety, and somatization). A total of 1241 participants from 28 primary care centres completed self-report measures of depression, anxiety, and somatization. This same sample also completed the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) to assess functional impairment in work, social life, and family life domains. Associations between the symptoms and each disability domain were examined using hierarchical regression analyses. Depression emerged as the strongest predictor of all three disability domains. Somatization was associated only with the work domain, and anxiety was associated only with the family life domain. Clinical symptoms explained a greater proportion of the variance than sociodemographic variables. In primary care patients, depression, anxiety and somatizations were associated with distinct domains of disability. Early provision of effective treatments in the primary care setting may be crucial to reduce the societal burden of common mental disorders.