Living With Psychiatric Patients: The Relationship Between Family Burden And Mental Health Among Family Members

Current policy with respect to psychiatric patients is to minimize the amount of time they spend in institutions. This policy has resulted in large numbers of exhospitalized patients residing in the community. While it is widely acknowledged that living with a psychiatric patient is likely to be stressful, little research attention has been focussed on the extent of burden experienced by family members or on the consequences of living with a psychiatric patient for one\u27s mental health. This study reports findings on the extent of burden experienced, and on the relationship between level of such burden and the mental health status of family members as measured by the General Health Questionnaire.;The data for this study were obtained in interviews with 211 adults who were spouses or parents of adult patients who had been hospitalized with diagnosis of functional psychoses. About half of these patients had been diagnosed as schizophrenic.;Evidence suggested that family members tended to experience a substantial degree of burden. The central analyses of this study applied multivariate regression analyses to assess the joint and independent associations of family burden and psychosocial and demographic variables with mental health status of family members. Family burden was not found to be as important as were mastery and social support for the mental health status. Moreover, a statistically significant relationship between family burden and mental health scores was observed only among subjects who lived with schizophrenic patients. Although the cross-sectional nature of these data precluded causal inferences, some possible implications of these findings with respect to intervention and community treatment programs were disscussed

Complementary and alternative medicine in psychotic disorders

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), including alternative therapies (ALT) and natural health products (NHP) such as vitamin and herbal supplements, is increasingly accepted in both the general population as well as in patients with mood and anxiety disorders. The level of acceptance and use of CAM, however, is unknown among patients being treated for psychotic disorders. Psychotic patients were surveyed about their use of and attitudes toward CAM. Questions included basic demographic and socio-economic items as well as the lifetime and 12-month use of CAM. Data were collected from June to October 2005. A sample of 172 participants representing 8.4% of the total eligible population of the outpatient clinics within the Schizophrenia Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto Canada completed the survey. Considering all forms of CAM, the lifetime and 12-month prevalence rate were 88% and 68%, respectively. The use and perceived safety of CAM by this population is similar to that reported by the general population. Clinical and public health implications of these findings are discussed.peer-reviewe

An investigation of family SES-based inequalities in depressive symptoms from early adolescence to emerging adulthood

Using the life course cumulative advantage/disadvantage (CAD) perspective, this study examines the influence of early family SES on trajectories of depressive symptoms spanning from early adolescence to early adulthood, as well as variations in SES-based inequality in depressive symptoms trajectories over this period. This study looks at direct influences of family SES and SES-age interactions (exposure-dependent CAD mechanisms), as well as indirect influences through SES-linked youth experiences (path-dependent CAD mechanisms) to explain variations in SES-based inequality. Data was derived from the Add Health study- a national longitudinal survey of 14,000 adolescents. Results showed large and significant effects of early family SES and associated factors on depressive symptoms in early adolescence, but diminishing effects in middle and late adolescence, supporting the hypothesis of equalization in adolescent health across levels of SES. Disparities in depression reemerged as adolescents entered adulthood, supporting the view that SES-based health equalization is only a temporary process. These findings also strengthen the concept of life course CAD processes, stemming from family characteristics, coming into play later in life. Early family SES was directly and indirectly related to a set of transition-related risks and challenges during emerging adulthood, to which young adults from families of higher SES responded more effectively than those of lower SES. This paper discusses theoretical and methodological implications of the findings

Entretenimiento, Espiritualidad, Familia y la Influencia de Pares Universitarios en el Consumo de Drogras.

El objetivo del estudio fue examinar la relación de los factores socio-culturales de familia,entretenimiento y espiritualidad y la influencia de pares y el consumo de drogas entre los estudiantes universitarios. Estudio es multicéntrico,con un diseño transversal ,participaron 250 estudiantes de una universidad en San Salvador,El Salvador.Se realizaron análisis porcentuales,pruebas de asociación y correlación.Se encontró que los factores socioculturales de familia y espiritualidad podían estar protegiendo ya que la mayoría 80%valoran positivamente estos dos valores,la mayoría de estudiantes consumen muy pocas drogas ilícitas,marihuana 2%cocaína 1% y anfetaminas 1.2%;pero consume las drogas lícitas alcohol 42%,tabaco21

Extending a structural model of somatization to South Koreans: Cultural values, somatization tendency, and the presentation of depressive symptoms

Background: Somatization refers to the tendency to emphasize somatic symptoms when experiencing a psychiatric disturbance. This tendency has been widely reported in patients from East Asian cultural contexts suffering from depression. Recent research in two Chinese samples have demonstrated that the local cultural script for depression, involving two aspects—the experience and expression of distress (EED) and conceptualization and communication of distress (CCD)—can be evoked to help explain somatization. Given the beliefs and practices broadly shared across Chinese and South Korean cultural contexts, the current study seeks to replicate this explanatory model in South Koreans. Methods: Our sample included 209 psychiatric outpatients from Seoul and Wonju, South Korea. Self-report questionnaires were used to assess somatization tendency, adherence to traditional values, and psychological and somatic symptoms of depression. Results: Results from SEM showed that the EED and CCD factors of somatization tendency were differently associated with cultural values and somatic symptoms, replicating our previous findings in Chinese outpatients. Limitations: The reliance on a brief self-report measure of somatization tendency, not originally designed to assess separate EED and CCD factors, highlights the need for measurement tools for the assessment of cultural scripts in cross-cultural depression research. Conclusions: The replication of the Chinese structural model of somatization in South Korealends empirical support to the view that somatization can be understood as the consequence of specific cultural scripts. These scripts involve the experience and expression of distress as well as culturally meaningful ways in which this distress is conceptualized and communicated to other

Spirituality, Gender, and druG uSe amonG StudentS From one uniVerSity in BarBadoS

aBStraCt: The research aimed to clarify the relationships between spirituality, gender, and drug use among undergraduate students of one university in Barbados. A quota sample of 250 students was required from the Faculty of Social Sciences as the study was part of a larger multi-centric study involving students from the Faculty of Social Sciences from seven other participating countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Significant negative relationships were found between a student's level of spirituality and their licit and illicit drug use over the past 12 and three months. Males and females also differed significantly in terms of illicit drug use (past 12 and three months). However no gender differences were found as it related to licit drug use. Moreover, females possessed significantly higher levels of spirituality than their male counterparts. Further qualitative research should be conducted among this age group within the Barbadian context to better explain these findings. deSCriptorS: eSpiritualidad, el Sexo y el ConSumo de droGaS entre loS eStudianteS de una uniVerSidad en BarBadoS reSumen: La investigación tuvo como objetivo aclarar la relación entre la espiritualidad , el sexo y el consumo de drogas entre los estudiantes de pregrado de una universidad en Barbados . Una muestra por cuotas de 250 estudiantes fue requerido por la Facultad de Ciencias Sociales como el estudio fue parte de un estudio multicéntrico grande que participen estudiantes de la Facultad de Ciencias Sociales de otros siete países participantes de América Latina y el Caribe . Relaciones negativas significativas fueron encontradas entre el nivel de un estudiante de la espiritualidad y de su uso de drogas lícitas e ilícitas en los últimos 12 y tres meses . Hombres y mujeres también difieren significativamente en términos de consumo de drogas ilícitas (últimos 12 y tres meses) . Sin embargo no se encontraron diferencias de género en su relación con el uso de drogas lícitas . Por otra parte , las mujeres poseían niveles significativamente más altos de espiritualidad que sus homólogos masculinos . Además la investigación cualitativa debe llevarse a cabo dentro de este grupo de edad en el contexto de Barbados para explicar mejor estos hallazgos . deSCriptoreS: Familia. Espiritualidad. Drogas ilicitas. Estudiantes

Nanoimprinted distributed feedback lasers of solution processed hybrid perovskites

Hybrid perovskite materials have considerable potential for light emitting devices such as LEDs and lasers. We combine solution processed CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite with UV nanoimprinted polymer gratings to fabricate distributed feedback (DFB) lasers. The lead acetate deposition route is shown to be an effective method for fabricating low-loss waveguides (loss coefficient ~6 cm-1) and highly compatible with the polymer grating substrates. The nanoimprinted perovskite exhibited single-mode band-edge lasing, confirmed by angle-dependent transmission measurements. Depending on the excitation pulse duration the lasing threshold shows a value of 110 μJ/cm2 under nanosecond pumping and 4 μJ/cm2 under femtosecond pumping. We demonstrate further that this laser has excellent stability with a lifetime of 10*8 pulses

Alcohol Dependence, Mortality, and Chronic Health Conditions in a Rural Population in Korea

To determine the effects of excessive drinking and alcohol dependency on mortality and chronic health problems in a rural community in South Korea, this study represents a nested case-control study. In 1998, we conducted the Alcohol Dependence Survey (ADS), a population survey of a village in Korea. To measure the effects of alcohol on chronic health conditions and mortality over time, in 2004, we identified 290 adults from the ADS sample (N=1,058) for follow-up. Of those selected, 145 were adults who had alcohol problems, either alcohol dependence as assessed in the ADS by the Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire (N=59), or excessive drinking without dependency (N=86). Further 145 nondrinkers were identified, matching those with alcohol problems in age and sex. We revisited the village in 2004 and completed personal interviews with them. In multivariate logistic regressions, the rates of mortality and morbidity of chronic health conditions were three times greater for alcohol dependents compared with the rate for nondrinkers. Importantly, however, excessive drinking without dependency was not associated with the rates of either mortality or morbidity. Future investigations would benefit by attending more specifically to measures for alcohol dependence as well as measures for alcohol consumption