Caregiver Burden, Family Characteristics, Parent-Child Interactions
Conditions
Brief summary
The goal of this longitudinal mixed-methods study is to investigate caregiver strain, family processes and health outcomes after youth psychiatric inpatient treatment. Caregivers of youth who received inpatient treatment for mental health problems will complete a survey at three timepoints (baseline, 3- and 6- month followup) reporting on youth outcomes, caregiver well-being, and family processes. Qualitative interviews on caregivers' challenges, needs, and resources around the return to home care are conducted with a subsample (target n = 10) of participants. The main research questions (RQs) are: RQ 1: Do family processes contribute to youth mental health outcomes after discharge from inpatient treatment? RQ 1a: What family-level risk factors predict youth readmission to inpatient treatment? RQ 1b: Do family processes predict youth mental health trajectories over time? RQ 2: Is there a reciprocal relationship between youth mental health problems and caregiver burden? RQ 2a: Do family processes mediate the association between caregiver burden and youth mental health problems? RQ 3: How do caregivers experience their children's return to home care? RQ 3a: What challenges and needs do caregivers report? RQ 3b: What types of follow-up services do families receive and/or have access to? RQ 3c: How do caregivers cope with ongoing difficulties in the post-discharge period?
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
University of Vienna
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* 18 years or older * primary caregiver of a child or adolescent aged 7-21 years of any gender who received inpatient treatment in a psychiatric institution in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland (min. 24 h stay) within the past month (regardless of the diagnosis or the reason for the treatment, respectively) * lived with the child or adolescent in the same household since discharge
Exclusion criteria
* another caregiver of the same child has already participated in the study * insufficient knowledge of German
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Inpatient readmission | Within 6 months | Occurrence (and admission date) of inpatient mental health treatment after discharge |
| Youth mental health | Change from baseline (T0) to 3-month (T1) and 6-month (T2) follow-up | Caregiver-reported youth internalizing and externalizing problems (assessed using the Pediatric Symptom Checklist) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Youth health-related quality of life | Change from baseline (T0) to 3-month (T1) and 6-month (T2) follow-up | Quality of life related to self-esteem, school, and peer relationships (assessed using the KINDL-R) |
Contacts
Primary ContactAmos-Silvio E Friedrich
Outcome results
None listed