FAMILY FUNCTIONING AND MENTAL-ILLNESS - A COMPARISON OF PSYCHIATRIC AND NONCLINICAL FAMILIES

The primary objective of the present investigation was to examine adap tive functioning in the families of patients with a wide range of psyc hiatric disorders. Seven dimensions of family functioning, as measured by the Family Assessment Device (FAD), were compared across families of patients with a schizophrenia disorder (n = 61), bipolar (n = 60), major depression (n = 111), anxiety disorder (n = 15), eating disorder (n = 26), substance abuse disorder (n = 48), and adjustment disorder (n = 46). Families in each psychiatric group were also compared to a c ontrol group of nonclinical families (N = 353). Results indicated that regardless of specific diagnosis, having a family member in an, acute phase of a psychiatric illness was a risk factor for poor family func tioning compared to the functioning of control families. However, with few exceptions, the type of the patient's psychiatric illness did not predict significant differences in family functioning. Thus, having a family member with a psychiatric illness is a general stressor for fa milies, and family interventions should be considered for most patient s who require a psychiatric hospitalization for either the onset of, o r an acute exacerbation of, any psychiatric disorder.