Influence Of Family Support Research Articles

Influence of Family Involvement and Substance Use on Sustained Utilization of Services for Schizophrenia

This observational study assessed the influence of family support and substance abuse on patterns of service use by individuals with schizophrenia. Polychotomous logistic regression was used to analyze an existing database for 258 individuals with schizophrenia who were between the ages of 18 and 67 and were recruited from public mental health care settings. Analyses determined the extent to which two consumer-identified factors, family support and substance abuse status, influenced patterns of outpatient service use (regular, irregular, and infrequent) for schizophrenia. After the analysis adjusted for insight into illness, cognitive functioning, rural or urban residence, and gender, comorbid substance abuse and the interaction between substance abuse status and family support were significantly associated with patterns of service use. Comorbid substance abuse predicted irregular or infrequent patterns of service use over time. Stratified analyses indicated that weekly family support substantially reduced the adverse impact of substance abuse status on consumers' patterns of service use, especially for those living in rural areas. This study provides evidence that ongoing family support is associated with substantial reductions in the adverse impact of substance abuse on consumers' patterns of service use, especially for consumers living in rural areas. If confirmed in other populations, study findings suggest that reinforcing services and support for family members who provide informal care helps to sustain involvement in care by the especially vulnerable population of individuals with a dual diagnosis of schizophrenia and substance abuse.

The influence of social support on the duration of breast-feeding among antenatal patients in Ibadan

SummaryIn Nigeria, breast-feeding has been shown to be very closely related to infant survival. Prolonged and adequate breast-feeding is critical to most infants' nutritional health and growth. This study aims to determine the influence of family support on the duration of exclusive and total breast-feeding of infants of antenatal patients. This cross-sectional study was conducted between 1 September and 30 December 2005. The tool was a structured questionnaire. The main outcome variables were the duration of breast-feeding; both total and exclusive explanatory variables were mainly related to support obtained during breast-feeding from husband and older female relations. Husbands support significantly increased the total duration of breast-feeding by a mean of 1.69 months (95% CI 0.88, 2.51), however, exclusive breast-feeding was not significantly affected by the husband's support (OR 0.94; 95% CI 0.63, 1.39). Female support had a significant influence on both the total duration of breast-feeding which is increased by a mean of 1.08 months (95% CI 0.14, 2.02), and the adequate conduct of exclusive breast-feeding (OR 1.83; 95% CI 1.17, 2.86). The cultural practice of having additional female support in the postpartum period has been shown by this study to be beneficial. Therefore, this cultural practice should be encouraged and catalogued as a beneficial cultural practice. This practice is also cheap and sustainable.

Functional Abdominal Pain Syndrome

Functional abdominal pain syndrome (FAPS) differs from the other functional bowel disorders; it is less common, symptoms largely are unrelated to food intake and defecation, and it has higher comorbidity with psychiatric disorders. The etiology and pathophysiology are incompletely understood. Because FAPS likely represents a heterogeneous group of disorders, peripheral neuropathic pain mechanisms, alterations in endogenous pain modulation systems, or both may be involved in any one patient. The diagnosis of FAPS is made on the basis of positive symptom criteria and a longstanding history of symptoms; in the absence of alarm symptoms, an extensive diagnostic evaluation is not required. Management is based on a therapeutic physician-patient relationship and empirical treatment algorithms using various classes of centrally acting drugs, including antidepressants and anticonvulsants. The choice, dose, and combination of drugs are influenced by psychiatric comorbidities. Psychological treatment options include psychotherapy, relaxation techniques, and hypnosis. Refractory FAPS patients may benefit from a multidisciplinary pain clinic approach.

Cumulative effect of family environment on psychiatric symptomatology among multiethnic adolescents

Purpose: To examine the influence of family adversity and support on levels of psychiatric symptomatology in Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian adolescents. Method: More than 4000 students from five high schools in Hawaii completed a survey during the 1992–1993 school year about their family environment and mental health. The response rate was approximately 60%. Logistic regression analyses were performed and responses for Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians were compared. Results: Hawaiian adolescents experienced significantly more adversity than their non-Hawaiian counterparts. The cumulative effect of family adversity had a greater effect on psychiatric symptomatology than any single indicator. Family support reduced the risk for internalizing symptoms, particularly for Hawaiian adolescents. The influence of family support was less clear for externalizing symptoms, increasing the risk for some adolescents and decreasing the risk for others. Conclusion: We identified strong associations between family adversity and levels of psychiatric symptomatology. We found that Hawaiian adolescents are at increased risk for psychiatric symptomatology, given the presence of family adversity and the effect of reduced family support. However, risk was also substantial for non-Hawaiians. Clinicians need to assess the family environment routinely and implement family-oriented interventions.

Influence of Family Support on Men in a Minimum Security Detention Center

The authors explored the relationship between family support and adjustment for adult men in a detention center, as measured by a staff rating scale completed by the appropriate counselor.

The influence of family support on chronic pain

This study examined the role family support plays in insulating chronic pain patients from maladaptive behaviors associated with their pain. Two hundred and thirty-three patients who described their family as always being supportive and never having any conflicts were compared with 275 chronic pain patients who endorsed having family disharmony and limited support. One year after completing an out-patient pain program a random sample of 181 of these patients were followed to determine the extent to which family support influenced treatment outcome. The patients who reported having non-supportive families tended to have liability and work-related injuries, relied on medication, reported having more pain sites and used more pain descriptors in describing their pain. These patients also tended to show more pain behaviors and more emotional distress compared with pain patients coming from supportive families. On follow-up, patients who described their families as being supportive reported significantly less pain intensity, less reliance on medication and greater activity levels. They tended to be working and not to have gone elsewhere for treatment of their pain compared with patients who described their family as non-supportive. The results of this study demonstrate that perceived support is an important factor in the rehabilitation of chronic pain patients.