TY - JOUR
T1 - Serious physical illness as a stressor
T2 - Effects on family use of medical services
AU - Patrick, Cathleen
AU - Padgett, Deborah K.
AU - Schlesinger, Herbert J.
AU - Cohen, Jacob
AU - Burns, Barbara J.
N1 - Funding Information:
Wegratefully acknowledge the contribufion ofEmily Mumford, Ph.D., whose involvement as a leader and colleague until her death in 1987 will always be remembered. This study was supported in part by a grant from the United States National lnstitute of Mental Health . entitled “Psychotherapy and Family Medical Expenditures” CMH-40479-04).
Funding Information:
‘Also see Padgett DK, Patrick C, Schlesinger HJ, Burns BJ, Cohen J, Allee M. Use of mental health and medical services by federal employees insured by Blue Cross/Blue Shield: findings from a large national database. Monograph prepared for the National Institute of Mental Health grant number MH-40479-04, 1989.
PY - 1992/7
Y1 - 1992/7
N2 - The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of stress on the family due to the hospitalization of a family member for a serious chronic illness. The data were the health insurance claims of 3,591 families obtained from the largest U.S.A. insurer of federal employees. It was hypothesized that the nonhospitalized family members would have a stress-related increase in medical expenses for some period of time after the chronically ill person was hospitalized. Multiple regression analysis with adjustments for a number of covariates found increases in mean medical charges of $326 per person (p < 0.01) (excluding the hospitalized person) in the 3 years following the hospitalization. This finding lends support to the theory that stress-in this case, hospitalization of one family member-affects the entire family system. No significant differences were found in medical charges between families who did and did not receive mental health treatment following the hospitalization.
AB - The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of stress on the family due to the hospitalization of a family member for a serious chronic illness. The data were the health insurance claims of 3,591 families obtained from the largest U.S.A. insurer of federal employees. It was hypothesized that the nonhospitalized family members would have a stress-related increase in medical expenses for some period of time after the chronically ill person was hospitalized. Multiple regression analysis with adjustments for a number of covariates found increases in mean medical charges of $326 per person (p < 0.01) (excluding the hospitalized person) in the 3 years following the hospitalization. This finding lends support to the theory that stress-in this case, hospitalization of one family member-affects the entire family system. No significant differences were found in medical charges between families who did and did not receive mental health treatment following the hospitalization.
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U2 - 10.1016/0163-8343(92)90091-N
DO - 10.1016/0163-8343(92)90091-N
M3 - Article
C2 - 1505743
AN - SCOPUS:0026696221
SN - 0163-8343
VL - 14
SP - 219
EP - 227
JO - General Hospital Psychiatry
JF - General Hospital Psychiatry
IS - 4
ER -