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Abstract

The paper examines differences between cases of psychogenic illness and noncases with regard to sociodemographic and health-related variables, coping and biographical reconstructions, evaluating their significance for psychic health in old age. A consecutive sample of 156 patients aged >60 treated for a variety of internal medical complaints in an acute geriatric hospital were examined with the help of comprehensive somatic diagnostics, the Impairment Score (IS), self-evaluation scales and a semistructured biographical interview. 27.5% (n = 43) of the study participants were classified as cases of psychogenic illness. 22 (14.1%) of them fulfilled diagnostic criteria for depressive disorder. Depressive patients were physically more impaired, reported rare and less satisfying social contacts and different coping strategies than the other study participants. With regard to their biographical reconstructions, cases reported more experienced bürden and less experienced support. In discrimination analysis, 78.4% of the study participants were correctly classified as cases vs. non-cases of psychogenic illness by one biographical variable and two coping strategies. Results are discussed as risk factors or protective factors for psychic health in old age considering their clinical relevance.