SOCIAL FACTORS AND LIFE EVENTS AS PREDICTORS FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH. A ONE‐YEAR PROSPECTIVE STUDY WITHIN A GENERAL PRACTICE

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Abstract
During a period of 1 yr information was obtained concerning social background, life events and diseases among children, who happened to consult the general practitioner. One year after this index consultation information concerning the children''s present state of health was obtained. Forty-three (13%) had been admitted to hospital during the follow-up year. Forty-five (12%) had had more than 5 consultations at the general practitioner and the parents of 23 children (6%) stated that their child had poor health. A multivariate predictor-analysis was performed. The associations discovered suggest that the selected social or psychosocial factors do not appear to be of considerable importance for prediction of later hospitalization, that indices for short-term psychosocial stress appear to increase the risk for many consultations at the general practitioner and that poor health in the children is partly predicted by indices for more long-term psychosocial stress.