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Sabotaging One's Own Medical CarePrevalence in a Primary Care Setting
Randy A. Sansone, MD;
Michael W. Wiederman, PhD;
Lori A. Sansone, MD;
Susan Mehnert-Kay, MD
Arch Fam Med. 1997;6(6):583-586.
Abstract
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This study determines the prevalence of medically self-sabotaging behaviors reported by patients in a primary care setting. A 19-item self-report survey was completed by patients on-site at the Family Medicine Clinic, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine—Tulsa. Four hundred eleven consecutive male and female patients were seen for nonemergent care. Each of the 19 items was endorsed by at least 1 respondent. The most commonly endorsed self-sabotaging behaviors were not seeking medical care when needed (37.2%) and not taking a prescribed medication (25.1%). Significantly more women (26.4%) than men (17.5%) reported not taking a prescribed medication (P<.05). After excluding these 2 commonly endorsed items, 27 (6.6%) of the respondents reported at least 1 other self-sabotaging behavior, with most indicating 1 (63.0%) or 2 (22.2%); the remaining 4 individuals reported 4 to 12 behaviors. Significantly more men (4.8%) than women (0.6%) reported not following instructions from a physician or nurse to prolong illness (P<.05). A few patients (6.6%) seen in a primary care university outpatient clinic acknowledged the active and intentional sabotage of their medical care, beyond not taking a prescribed medication or seeking medical care when needed. This is probably a conservative estimate and indicates that medical care is actively compromised by a few patients.
Author Affiliations
From the Departments of Psychiatry (Dr R. A. Sansone) and Family Medicine (Drs L. A. Sansone and Mehnert-Kay), University of Oklahoma College of Medicine—Tulsa; Department of Psychological Science, Ball State University, Muncie, Ind (Dr Wiederman); and Medical Care Associates of Tulsa, Tulsa, Okla (Dr L. A. Sansone). Dr R. A. Sansone is now with the Department of Psychiatry, Wright State University School of Medicine and Kettering Medical Center, Dayton, Ohio. Dr L. A. Sansone is now with Premier Integrated Medical Associates, Dayton, Ohio.
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES
Multiple Types of Childhood Trauma and Borderline Personality Symptomatology Among a Sample of Diabetic Patients
Sansone et al.
Traumatology 2004;10:257-266.
ABSTRACT
PATIENTS WHO DON'T WANT TO GET BETTER
JWatch General 1997;1997:5-5.
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