"Don't Promise Something You can't Deliver:" Caregivers' Advice for Improving Services to Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism.

Approximately 50,000 youths with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) exit U.S. high schools yearly to enter adult systems of care, many of whom remain dependent on family for day-to-day care and service system navigation.

Barriers to service and unmet need among autistic adolescents and young adults.

Prior studies have described the roadblocks, or barriers, to needed services experienced by families with young autistic children, but less research has focused on those faced by autistic adolescents and young adults. In this study, we wished to understand the barriers to service experienced by autistic adolescents and young adults and their families. We surveyed 174 caregivers of autistic youth between 16 to 30 years old.

Service Use Among Transition-Age Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

This study explored predictors of service use among 174 transition-age youth (age 16-30) with an Autism Spectrum Disorder using Andersen's (J Health Soc Behav 36(1):1-10, 1995) healthcare utilization model. Family caregivers were interviewed about past 6-month use of 15 services. On average, youth used 6.

Factors affecting mental health service utilization among Latino Americans with mental health issues.

Background: In contrast to their white counterparts, Latino Americans are less likely to utilize mental health services.

Aims: Guided by the Behavioral Model of Health Service Utilization, this study examined factors affecting use of mental health services and dropouts from mental health services among Latino Americans with mental health issues.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis utilizing data from the National Latino and Asian American Study.

The mediating role of mattering to others in recovery and stigma.

Objective: This study examines the role of mattering to others as an intrapersonal construct that may mediate the relationship between social support and 2 separate criterion variables: recovery and internalized stigma associated with living with a serious mental health condition. Adults living with serious mental health disorders, such as schizophrenia, face numerous social challenges that may leave them feeling isolated, stigmatized, and that they do not matter to others, thus thwarting the potential for recovery. Theorists and researchers conceptualize the sense of mattering to others as the perception that 1 is valued, recognized by others along with the feelings that others are concerned about our well-being.

Family perspectives of how their relatives with mental illness benefit from Clubhouse participation: a qualitative inquiry.

Background: Although researchers have demonstrated the benefits of psychosocial Clubhouse participation on a number of clinical and psychosocial outcomes, few studies have investigated the consumer's participation from the perspectives of others.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate family members' perspectives of how Clubhouse programming has affected consumers' recovery.

Method: Twenty-four relatives of Clubhouse members were interviewed using a semi-structured protocol.

The Effects of Organizational Culture on Mental Health Service Engagement of Transition Age Youth.

Nationwide, there is a growing concern in understanding mental health service engagement among transition age youth. The ecological perspective suggests that there are multiple barriers to service engagement which exist on varying levels of the ecosystem. Based on the socio-technical theory and organizational culture theory, this study examined the impact of organization-level characteristics on perceived service engagement and the moderating role of organizational culture on practitioner-level characteristics affecting youth service engagement.

Predictors of loneliness of clubhouse members.

Objective: Loneliness can impede subjective experiences of recovery. This study examines the relationship between clubhouse participation and loneliness using standardized instruments while controlling for age, gender, living status, and social network characteristics.

Method: A random sample of 126 members from one clubhouse was recruited for this cross-sectional investigation.

Correlates of peer support in a clubhouse setting.

The purpose of this study was to examine the social support characteristics and correlates of peer networks for Clubhouse members. A random sample of 126 members from one Clubhouse was requested to nominate social network members and asked a series of questions about characteristics of supports provided by each network member. Respondents with both peers and non-peers in their network, three fifths of the sample, had more frequent contacts with peers than with non-peers and were more satisfied with peer relationships than with non-peer relationships.

Likelihood of asking for help in caregivers of women with substance use or co-occurring substance use and mental disorders.

Family members are important to the well-being of their relatives with substance use disorders or co-occurring substance use and mental disorders. Many caregivers experience high levels of burden, negatively impacting their capacity to provide support to their ill family member. The Andersen health care utilization model (Andersen & Newman, 1973, 2005) was used to identify the impact of predisposing, enabling and need factors hypothesized to predict caregivers' likelihood of asking for help and support with their caregiving role.

Maladaptive Coping as a Mediator of Family Stress.

Family members of women substance users may be at risk for stress-related problems. Family coping responses may affect outcomes for both families and women in treatment. Eighty-two women in treatment for substance use disorders (56 with comorbid psychiatric conditions) and 82 family members were interviewed.

A university-agency mental health research collaboration: a case example.

There is significant documentation in the literature of barriers that may prevent research results from being utilized by agencies to inform and impact practice and policy. Such barriers pertain to several factors as follows: (a) those related to the nature of the research enterprise itself (b) those related to differences between the producers and consumers of research, and (c) barriers arising from the differences in organizational contexts of researchers and case management and supported employment agency staff. This article discusses a collaborative relationship between university researchers and agency practitioners in the context of a research project studying the implementation of supported employment, an evidence-based practice.

Predictors of Depressive Symptomatology in Family Caregivers of Women With Substance Use Disorders or Co-Occurring Substance Use and Mental Disorders.

This study utilized a stress-process model to examine the impact of having a female family member with substance use or co-occurring substance use and mental disorders on family caregivers' depressive symptomatology. Participants were 82 women receiving substance abuse treatment and the family member providing the most social support for each woman. Greater caregiver depressive symptomatology was predicted by greater care recipient emotional problems, less care recipient social support, and poor caregiver health.

Predictors of referral to Supported Employment among consumers with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders.

Clinical trials demonstrate that Supported Employment is effective in assisting persons with severe mental illness in obtaining competitive employment. However, little is known about the factors related to consumers' decisions to pursue employment, especially for consumers with co-occurring substance and mental disorders. This study examines the demographic, socioeconomic and illness characteristics of consumers referred for Supported Employment services.

Older case management clients with younger family members in need of care: interdependencies and well-being.

This exploratory study investigated caregiving and interdependencies in families of frail older case management clients who coreside with younger individuals in need of care. Analyses were based on interviews with 78 older adults recruited from a large urban case management program. To be eligible for the study, the older adult had to coreside with an individual under age 60 who had disabilities or chronic health problems and/or with minors.

Predictors of psychiatric hospitalization for adults with co-occurring substance and mental disorders as compared to adults with mental illness only.

Predictors of psychiatric hospitalization, predisposing, enabling and need, of adults with co-occurring mental and substance disorders were compared to predictors for adults with a mental illness only. Research participants were 1613 users of crisis intervention services. Findings using Cox regression show that dually-diagnosed individuals were more likely to be hospitalized.

Facilitators and barriers to support group participation for family caregivers of adults with mental illness.

Objective: Few low-income and minority caregivers of persons with serious mental illness participate in support groups. This study examined the facilitators and barriers to participation in support groups for families of persons with serious mental illness among lower socioeconomic African-American and Caucasian family caregivers. Three hypotheses were tested in a multivariate model which included need, enabling and predisposing variables utilizing a revised version of the Andersen model.

Empowering African American women informal caregivers: a literature synthesis and practice strategies.

Through a synthesis of literature on caregiving, empowerment, social inequalities, and racial disparities in health and income, the authors built an argument for African American women caregivers' vulnerability to powerlessness and the applicability of an empowerment approach to social work practice with these caregivers. The article discusses two realities of African American women caregivers' experiences (strong coping and vulnerability) and two relevant theoretical frameworks (stress and coping and empowerment frameworks) for framing these experiences. Drawing on empowerment and other relevant literature, the authors recommend three practice strategies with these caregivers.