Separation experiences and health records in a group of normal adults. Psychosom Med 25.433

About 25 % of 455 ostensibly normal subjects reported a recent "separation experi-ence " as defined in this study. The frequency of visits to the dispensary for symp-tomatic complaints was not significantly higher among those who reported separa-tion than among those who did not. The data suggest that an apparent associa-tion between relatively high Cornell Medical Index score and history of separation experience may be understandable in terms of the subjects ' reporting character-istics rather than in terms of a cause-effect relationship between separation experi-ence and illness. I N RECENT psychosomatic literature much interest has been expressed in the possible relationship between "separation experiences " and the development of so-matic disease. The number of disorders postulated to be etiologically related to the affective states associated with sepa-ration has continued to increase as inves-tigators in the psychosomatic field have turned their attention to this area.1"8 In 1958, Schmale9 published a report of his study of 42 patients who were ad-mitted to the semiprivate divisions of the Strong Memorial Hospital in 1956. He defined the following categories of separation experiences: (1) actual loss, which refers to actual severance of the relationship with a significant person, such as by death, marital separation, broken engagement, or desertion; (2) This work was supported in part by a con-tract with the Army Chemical Corps, For