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Gepubliceerd in:

10-02-2021

Moving beyond family: unequal burden across mental health patients’ social networks

Auteurs: Lambert Zixin Li, Jason Yucheng Bian, Senhu Wang

Gepubliceerd in: Quality of Life Research | Uitgave 7/2021

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Abstract

Purpose

Although the family burden of mental health problems on patients’ close relatives was widely acknowledged, little was known about how mental health problems affected the quality of life of other types of social relationships of patients, through what mechanisms, and under what conditions. The study aims to explore the burden on all types of relationships of mental health patients and explain why and when the burden is unequal across different relationships.

Methods

The association between different types of relationships and the levels of burden was examined with dyadic data of 1178 patient-acquaintance relationships in the United States and random effects multilevel models. Frequency of contacts was tested as a mediator. The severity of mental health problems was tested as a moderator.

Results

All types of relationships of patients borne a significant burden. Close relatives including parents, spouses, children, and siblings suffered a greater burden than distant relatives and non-relatives. The unequal burden was partly explained by the frequency of contacts with patients. The burden of close relatives significantly increased when patients’ mental health problems were more severe.

Conclusion

Mental health patients put a burden on their frequent contacts outside core families, especially when their problems were more severe. Public health policies should attend to the quality of life of mental health patients’ all types of acquaintances in the wider society.
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Metagegevens
Titel
Moving beyond family: unequal burden across mental health patients’ social networks
Auteurs
Lambert Zixin Li
Jason Yucheng Bian
Senhu Wang
Publicatiedatum
10-02-2021
Uitgeverij
Springer International Publishing
Gepubliceerd in
Quality of Life Research / Uitgave 7/2021
Print ISSN: 0962-9343
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-2649
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-021-02782-9