The general objective is to continue a line of research, begun in 3 cities in Ohio, for the purpose of analyzing the nature, magnitude, and distribution of family burden among relatives of severely mentally ill persons who have had recent contact with the public system of care. Progress during the past 2+ years of funding is indicated by a number of preliminary finding based on family interviews and independently gathered data from patients and case managers. Delays in data collection occasioned by the need to develop a special protocol for the study coupled with expansion in the number and variety of data elements account for the need for additional time and resources. The request for continuation funding is further justified by emergent opportunities to cross validate preliminary results and to explore related issues using other data sets. Independently funded studies in Connecticut and Baltimore are identified for secondary analyses that sample from similar populations, draw on multiple waves and sources of information, and share key measures in common. Among the new tasks envisioned are pooled analyses of the impact of continuity of care and residence on family burden, analysis of the role of family resources and attitudes in homelessness, and comparison of patient and family outcomes over time.
| Tessler, R C; Gamache, G M; Fisher, G A (1991) Patterns of contact of patients' families with mental health professionals and attitudes toward professionals. Hosp Community Psychiatry 42:929-35 |
