Cohesion of the primary social network and sustained service use before the first psychiatric hospitalization.

Full Abstract

This study analyzed the relationship between social network dynamics and initial help-seeking behaviors. The primary social network was reconstructed for the period beginning with initial observation of unusual behavior and ending with first psychiatric hospitalization. The social network's influence was analyzed based on the concept of social network cohesion, considering both structure and content of social ties. The results demonstrate that networks succeed in referring the family member to services and in maintaining a clinical follow-up to the degree that they are cohesive. When a network lacks cohesiveness, the onset and development of problem behaviors are less easily recognized. These findings confirm the importance of social and interactional contexts in decision-making processes leading to use of psychiatric services and specify the roles they play.

Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Carpentier, Normand (N); White, Deena (D);

Affiliation: Research Centre, University of Montreal Institute of Geriatrics, 4565, Chemin Queen-Mary, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3W 1W5. normand.carpentier@umontreal.ca

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Evaluation Studies; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: The journal of behavioral health services & research (J Behav Health Serv Res), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Nov; vol 29 (issue 4) : pp 404-18

Dates: Created 2002/10/30; Completed 2002/11/25; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 12404935, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Continuity of Patient Care
Cooperative Behavior
Decision Making
Family
Female
Group Processes
Hospitals, Psychiatric - utilization

Humans
Male
Mental Health Services - utilization
Patient Acceptance of Health Care
Qualitative Research
Quebec
Social Support
Social Work, Psychiatric - organization & administration

This article has not been indexed for related articles as yet, however you can still use the live related article search links below.

See 100+ related articles.