This paper describes a pilot project designed to provide a training and implementation program for volunteer, paraprofessional facilitators of a marriage and family intervention method known as Structured Enrichment. The intervention, which was designed to teach couples and families to negotiate specific problem issues in their relationships, is…

Several patient status variables have been associated with caregiver burden. A study was conducted to examine relationships between caregiver burden; patient variables of cognitive status, depression, and physical status; and caregiver perceptions of disruptive behavior and discrepancies between patient abilities and behaviors. Subjects were…

Reported are "An Investigation of the Factors Related to Anxiety in Children" in Bangladesh, by Dilruba Afrose, and briefly, a study of "Intergenerational Conflicts Regarding Child-Rearing Practices and Their Effects on Certain Behaviours of Children," by Chucha Suvanathat. The former investigation attempted to determine…

While published recommendations for housing design and neighborhood planning for older people continue to proliferate, these standards and criteria are rarely subjected to empirical testing. In this study, objective field assessments, using objective measures of residential quality, measured residential resources for meeting life maintenance and…

This paper documents the development of community mental health (CMH) in New Zealand and makes comparisons with the United States. It is argued that the present New Zealand situation bears some similarity to that existing in the United States during the 1960's. The ideology of 'community mental health' is gaining popularity among professional and…

Investigated were effects of maternal work status and parity on specific outcomes in maternal psychology and physiology and infant physiology. In addition, the study design and the usefulness of instruments were evaluated, and the feasibility of subject recruitment and retention was assessed. Subjects were 20 women between 18 and 35 years of age…

Conceptualization of the lives of adult women and the forces affecting their well-being have concentrated on five constructs: (1) chronological age; (2) menopause and the empty nest; (3) marital status; (4) parity; and (5) multiple role involvement as a source of stress. A re-examination of these variables focused on the concerns and…

Although career pathing would seem to have utility for mental health organizations, little research has been done on such activities. In a survey of 314 administrators employed in 109 community level, public sector mental health organizations, six career types of mental health administrators were identified on the basis of: (1) education; (2)…

It has been argued that traditional psychiatric labels, hospitalization, anti-psychotic medication, and associated assistance programs tend to reinforce and perpetuate a sense of helplessness and dependency among mental patients. To investigate feelings of power and dependency of 15 neuropsychiatric patients in a sheltered workshop,…

Adult day care is increasingly being offered as an alternative to institutionalization. However, this alternative is not suitable for nor is it available to all elderly. There is need to determine if elderly users of these services have distinguishable characteristics from those who do not. This study evaluates 35 impaired elderly day care clients…

This publication contains the reports of two major public advisory bodies which studied and conducted hearings on mental health needs of the elderly and developed recommendations for public policy to address these needs. The first report reviews current mental health needs and considers the projected needs for dealing with emotional stress during…

There is evidence that informal caregiving systems, called natural helping networks, already carry much of the service load of community mental health services, and need to be strengthened to provide even more. Social network analysis is a useful tool for understanding how these informal mechanisms operate, as well as the way in which some…

An adaptation of "communication audit" procedures was used to evaluate the communication patterns at a mental health center (MHC). The evaluation included initial interviews with 28 MHC workers/administrators, a survey of 215 staff members for a communication network analysis, and followup interviews with another 28 persons. The data produced four…

The term "burnout" has become popular for describing a condition of workers and administrators in professions with a high degree of people contact. Burnout involves feelings of exhaustion, development of chronic negative attitudes about oneself and/or clientele, and lowered job performance. A review of literature reveals that burnout as…

Job satisfaction levels and attitudes of 47 administrators and outpatient staff working in two comprehensive community mental health centers were compared using multivariate analysis. No significant differences were found between administrators and staff, nor were any inter-agency job satisfaction differences noted. However, the agencies were…