The Crown-Crisp Experiential Index (CCEI) was designed as a measure of neurotic symptomatology. The tendency has been to report upon its six separate scales and to ignore the total score. We report on the use of the CCEI in a detailed interview study of 208 40-49-year-old women from a local community and 40 patients of the same age range and sex from a psychiatric hospital. In this study, scores on the six scales of the CCEI were shown to be highly intercorrelated. A case is made for combining the six scale scores to form an overall score of neurotic pathology. This score was validated against a number of variables. It was shown to be significantly related to psychiatric patient status, negative self-evaluation, level of severity of current symptoms, evidence of previous psychiatric episodes, previous psychiatric treatment and psychiatric symptoms in childhood. These validation variables were themselves intercorrelated but severity of current symptoms, self-evaluation and childhood symptoms had significant independent effects. It is concluded that scores on the six scales of the CCEI may be less important than the total score which provides a useful and valid measure of psychoneurotic pathology and has particular application as a screening instrument in community surveys.

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A community based research project was undertaken to discover whether early mother separation was related to adult mental disorder. A population sample of 73 women aged 40-49, who experienced continuous mother absences in excess of 1 year due either to family difficulties (n = 42) or external factors (n = 31), were interviewed about early life experiences and mental health. Controls (n = 69) matched for parental social class and age at father death were similarly interviewed. Three self-administered tests, the Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire, a modified Zung Depression Scale and the Navran Dependency Scale of the MMPI were also completed. It was shown that separation alone was unrelated to adult psychopathology or mental disorder. Poor preseparation maternal relationships, both alone and in combination with two or more changes of care plus unsatisfactory replacement care, contributed to an increase in psychiatric morbidity and psychopathology.

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Examined the mean DY score of various clinical and nonclinical groups (N = 855). It was significantly higher for females, whether patients or nonpatients; nonpatients with a high total score and high scores on several subscales of the Crown Crisp Experiential Index of neurotic symptomatology; psychiatric patients in general; patients and nonpatients with a high modified Zung depression score; neurotic as opposed to endogenous depressives; suicide attemptors, especially non‐serious ones; Ss with early bereavement or separation particularly if followed by poor replacement care; Ss with poor quality marriages and husband dominant marriages as measured by the Ryle Marital Patterns Test. The DY Scale relates directly with the PT and D Scales and inversely with the Do Scale. Separation of the test items into those that were and were not predominantly depressive revealed that most, though not all, significant associations were due to the depressive component, which it was suggested should be markedly diminished.