Physical, Financial, and Psychological Abuse Committed Against Older Women by Relatives With Psychiatric Disorders: Extent of the Problem.

Persons with psychiatric disorders (PD) are known to be at an increased risk of committing elder abuse, with much of this abuse occurring toward women. However, there is no evidence available speaking to the extent of this problem. The objective of the present study is to explore rates of abuse committed against older women by a relative with PD. In conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania, 217 women residing across the United States who are at least 55 years of age and who have a relative with PD completed an online survey. Analyses found that in the past 6 months 15% of survey respondents experienced physical abuse committed by their relative with PD, 20% experienced financial abuse, and 42% experienced psychological abuse. Given these high rates of abuse it is imperative that research into factors predicting abuse be conducted, as such information would help target and determine the nature of interventions.

The impact of psychiatric comorbidity on general hospital length of stay.

Medical inpatients often suffer from comorbid psychiatric illness, which has been shown in previous studies to be associated with longer hospital stays. The present analysis used a large representative dataset to examine the impact of patient demographic and clinical characteristics on the relationship between psychiatric comorbidity and hospital length of stay. Analyses showed the existence of a psychiatric comorbidity predicted longer hospital stays for medical inpatients. However, in comparison to previous research, this effect was attenuated in this sample. Patients with mental disorders who were elderly, on Medicare, and those with schizophrenia or mood disorders were especially at risk for slightly longer lengths of stay.

Understanding consumer preferences for communication channels to create consumer-directed health promotion efforts in psychiatric rehabilitation settings.

People with serious mental illnesses experience increased rates of physical illnesses. Drop-in centers and psychosocial rehabilitation programs can serve as important settings for health promotion efforts, but such efforts should utilize communication strategies that are used by consumers and are perceived to be reliable. Focus groups involving 23 consumers at drop-in centers in Philadelphia were conducted to assess the perceived usefulness of health information from a variety of sources. Consumers especially liked getting information from other people, including health care professionals, friends, and family, and found the information to be reliable and useful. Print literature, the Internet, and a library had various limitations. Respondents were generally unfamiliar with community health fairs and related events. Consumers considered trustworthiness, proximity and availability, and the specificity and depth of information provided by a communication source when getting health information. Implications for health promotion efforts are discussed.