Life Events, 17-OHCS Measures, and Psychological Defensiveness in Relation to Aid-Seeking

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Abstract
Professional aid-seeking for medical or psychological reasons was measured in 80 firefighters for a retrospective period of six months and a prospective period of eight weeks. The magnitude of life stress events. 24-hour urine 17-OHCS levels, and MMPI K-Scale scores were compared between those subjects who had sought professional aid and those who had not. The measured values did not differ significantly between groups and were, in fact, well within normal limits for all subjects tested. Analysis suggests that implied relationships between stress and illness are questionable in low-stress, low-maladjustment populations. These data lend support to the concept of a threshold effect for influence of life change on subsequent illness manifestation.

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