Version Of Family Assessment Device Research Articles

Family functioning and 1-year prognosis of first-episode major depressive disorder

This study aims at investigating the characteristics of family functioning in Chinese first-episode major depressive disorder (FE-MDD) patients and its relationship with major depressive episode (MDE) duration. We recruited 63 FE-MDD families and 59 healthy comparison (HC) families from WuHan Mental Health Center and its nearby communities from September 2014 to August 2016. Family functioning was assessed by the Chinese version of Family Assessment Device (FAD). After baseline assessment, MDD patients were followed-up monthly for one year. Independent t test and Pearson correlation analysis were respectively used to compare the family functioning of MDD and HC families and to assess the relationship between family functioning and MDE duration. Our results showed that MDD families exhibited family impairment in all the 7 sub-scales of FAD. MDD patients with “healthy family functioning” showed significantly shorter MDE duration than those with “unhealthy family functioning”. MDE duration was positively correlated with the score of problem solving (PS), communication (CM) and general functioning (GF) subscales. These findings indicate that Chinese MDD families are associated with a wide range of family impairments and family functioning is linked to the MDE duration. Improvement of family functioning may be helpful for the recovery of MDD.

The Transition from Middle School to High School: The Mediating Role of Perceived Peer Support in the Relationship between Family Functioning and School Satisfaction

The study focused on the transition from middle school to high school and aimed to verify the mediating role that perceived peer support may play in the relationship between family functioning in middle school and school satisfaction in high school. In middle school (Wave 1), participants were 208 adolescents (106 boys and 102 girls) aged 12–13 years (M = 12.56; SD = .61), attending the last classes of two middle public schools located in Italy. One year later (Wave 2), 155 adolescents (76 boys and 79 girls) participated again in the study when they attended the first classes of high school (M = 13.91; SD = .75). Participants completed the Italian Version of Family Assessment Device and the Social Support Questionnaire (short from) in Wave 1 and the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale in Wave 2. Results showed that among family functioning dimensions, only affective involvement positively predicted perceived peer support and school satisfaction. The mediation models showed that perceived peer support in middle school mediated the relationship between affective involvement in middle school and school satisfaction in high school. Our results confirm the role of subjective perception of peer support in contributing to the prediction of school satisfaction beyond good parental affective involvement.

P02-217 - The study on family functioning by patients and their family members in schizophrenic, major depressive and bipolar mood disorders

Introduction and objectivesThere are some different ideas about family dynamics -particularly schizophrenic, major depressive and bipolar mood disorders- in psychiatric patient's family.AimsThe aim of this study was to consider therapeutic purposes in Iranian patients.Methods90 randomly selected patients with schizophrenic, major depressive and bipolar mood disorders plus a member of their families - 90 people in 3 groups- who were referred to psychiatric hospitals were evaluated by Iranian version of Family Assessment Device (FAD). Statistical analysis was done at the end.Resultsschizophrenic and bipolar patients who had more negative family functioning were compared with depressed patients. Family members of depressed patients had more negative family functioning compared with family members of schizophrenic and bipolar patients. Family members of schizophrenic and depressed patients had more impaired family functioning in comparison with patients.ConclusionsMore negative perception in schizophrenic patients may be related to the nature of illness and their suspiciousness. Due to negative believes in depressed patients they ascribe family problems to themselves. In general, members of these 3 groups of disorders had more pathologic and more negative functioning compared with patients. That could be the result of presence of ill member and tense interactions in these families.