Pilot Study of the Support Needs and Service Use of Women with SMD

A Pilot Study of the Support Needs and Service Use of
Women with Severe Mental Disorder (SMD)

Principal Investigator: Lynn Videka, Ph.D., SUNY Albany; Co Investigators: Zvi Gellis, Ph.D., Lisa Easterly, MSW, Jenneth Carpenter,Ph.D. candidate, SUNY Albany

PROJECT GOALS

This project aims to:

1) identify the parenting needs and concerns of women with SMD who are parents;
2) describe the mental health, child welfare and other support services used by these women and their children to support parenting, as well as gaps in services, and the quality and salience of services; and
3) develop a model that identifies characteristics of women with SMD who are parents, their children and service structures associated with good parental functioning.

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES AND RESULTS

Method:

Four providers of publicly funded psychiatric outpatient services serve as settings. Sample is women diagnosed with SMD disorders with children up to age 18. Two interviews are conducted: baseline and 12 months. From 12/00 to the present, the full sample of 100 mothers has been recruited, completed the baseline interview, and the one-year follow-up interview (n=67, 67% retention rate). Every woman who volunteered for a screening interview has subsequently participated in the study. Using estimates from clinical caseloads in the 4 counties studied, 65% of all eligible women receiving mental health services volunteered for the study. Women describe their parenting role, service use and service satisfaction with multiple systems. They self rate their health and mental health functioning, their parental functioning, their child’s MH functioning, quality of life, social supports for parenting tasks and coping mastery. Presentations have been made to local agencies on a needs-services gaps analysis, a critique of parenting measures, and a preliminary exploration of factors that support positive parenting, and on how parents can talk to their children about their mental illness. A literature review has been accepted for publication in Families and Society and several other manuscripts are under preparation.

Results: Presentations based on preliminary data analysis were made to several mental health organizations including Albany County Mental Health Clinic, Rennselaer County Unified Services, Duchess County Mental Health Association, Saratoga County Mental Health Clinic, the Mental Health Association of New York State (MHANYS) and several regional task forces affiliated with the MHANYS' Parents With Psychiatric Disorders Project. Three presentations have been made to the Society for Social Work and Research Parenting Symposium. These have been on a needs-services gaps analysis, a critique of parenting measures, and a preliminary exploration of factors that support positive parenting. A literature review has been accepted for publication in Families and Society and several other manuscripts are under preparation.

SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS/ POLICY IMPLICATIONS

Preliminary data analysis indicates that the lack of communication and coordination between child welfare and mental health services poses a major policy challenge in providing recovery-oriented services to SMD women and their children. Social support and maternal internal resources (mastery coping style, lower level of mental health symptoms) predict positive parenting. Findings indicate that adult mental health services should provide family support services to SMD parents.

PLANS

Longitudinal data analyses will be conducted. An application to NIMH to develop an intervention program based on study findings has been submitted.

INCLUSION OF GENDER/ MINORITY SUBJECTS

	American Indian or Alaskan Native	Asian or Pacific Islander	Black, not of Hispanic Origin	Hispanic	White, not of Hispanic Origin	Other of Unknown Origin	TOTAL
Female	1	0	20	5	74	0	100
Male	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Unknown
TOTAL	1	0	20	5	74	0	100

Entered: 7/22/02
Updated: 7/1/03