Family health in the families of the young chronically mentally ill

Abstract

<p>Although the family plays a major role in the care of young adults with serious and persistent mental illness, there has been limited research on the impact of these ongoing caregiving responsibilities on the health of the family unit itself. The specific objective of the study was to explore the relationship of family stressors, family coping, family perception of the client's level of health, and time since diagnosis of mental illness to the outcome of family health. In so doing, it also sought to empirically test a middle range theory that was deduced from King's Open System's Model. A predictive, correlational, theory testing, survey design was used. Eighty-two families were obtained by means of a nonprobability sampling strategy. Families were sought from a community mental health agency, public and private psychiatric hospitals, and support groups. Family stressors was measured by the FILE (McCubbin et al, 1983), family coping by the F-COPES (McCubbin et al, 1981), family perception of the client's level of health by the PES (Ihilevich et al, 1981), and family health by the Cohesion and Adaptability scales of the FACES III (Olson et al, 1985), the Family APGAR (Smilkstein et al, 1982), and the FES Conflict scale (Moos, 1981). Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, multiple correlation, and multiple regression were used to address the hypotheses and research questions. The results provided empirical support, with some modifications, for the middle range theory of family health in the families of the young chronically mentally ill. In addition, family stressors, family coping, and several demographic variables were found to be significant predictors of family health. The results of this study contributed to both the science and practice of nursing. The science of nursing was advanced by means of the empirical testing of a middle range theory. This study also constituted an initial step toward the long term goal of theory based and experientially verified nursing care for families who have a young adult with a serious mental illness. Such nursing care will enhance the profession's ability to promote health within these vulnerable family units.</p>