Perceived social support and the effects of living in the community for individuals with a serious and persistent mental illness

This dissertation examined the relationship between an individual\u27s perception of social support and his/her\u27s day-to-day functioning. Social support assists an individual in maintaining physical and mental health by buffering the individual from stress. Social support can be affective as in emotional support, advice and positive feedback, or instrumental as in material aid and giving physical help. Individuals with a serious and persistent mental illness are vulnerable to stress, but have fewer opportunities for social support due to smaller size of their social support networks. Intensive case management services is an effective service which reduces rehospitalization and is mandated to be available for individuals with a serious and persistent illness, one function of intensive case management is informal support network building that arranges for social support. A conceptual model of social support proposes that perceived social support results in better day-to-day functioning measured by less time in psychiatric hospitals, more time in community residence, higher Global Assessment of Functioning scores, lower Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale scores, and increased participation in vocational and day program activities. This study was based on a convenience sample of 125 consumers of the Community Treatment Teams of Philadelphia who (1) had an identified significant other(s), (2) lived in the community for a year, (3) did not have a primary diagnosis of developmental disability, and (4) agreed to participate in the study. Consumers were given an explanation of the study and an opportunity to discuss it at their homes and then asked to participate. If they consented they were administered the Perceived Social Support Scale. Psychiatrists were asked to complete a Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Intensive Case managers completed a Global Assessment of Functioning. Demographic information was obtained from the records. Intensive case managers were asked about consumers contact with significant others. A regression analysis showed there was no statistically significant relationship between the combination of perceived social support and family contact by intensive case managers and overall level of functioning (GAF), psychiatric symptomotology (BPRS), and days of hospitalization. There was an indication that perceived social support has an effect that approached significance on psychiatric symptomotology