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Biomedical subjects

S Meeks

Publications and source records attributed to S Meeks.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Mental illness in late life: socioeconomic conditions, psychiatric symptoms, and adjustment of long-term sufferers.

The relationships between social and economic conditions and psychiatric disorder among 346 older adults with severe mental illness living in the community are examined in this article. Measures included socioeconomic indexes, symptoms, diagnoses, and adjustment. As expected, socioeconomic and illness factors were interrelated in this sample. Diagnosis was related to both functioning and socioeconomic factors. As a rule, participants were financially impoverished but socially integrated into social networks consisting largely of kin. In spite of impoverishment and presence of significant symptoms, most were maintaining themselves in the community with at least marginal functioning, though they received very little support from the mental health system beyond medication. Compared with the younger cohort, the older cohort was functioning better, had fewer symptoms, and had better global adjustment. Those with coexisting psychotic and affective syndromes were most at risk. Future analyses with this data set will need to develop complex multivariate models to predict the primary influences on functioning and short-term stability.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Service providers in the social networks of clients with severe mental illness.

The social networks of 27 severely mentally ill (SMI) clients of two community mental health centers were compared with those of 19 clients who had less severe disorders. The networks of the SMI clients were smaller and less reciprocal and contained fewer family members. SMI clients' networks were also more likely to include social service providers, such as group home staff and caseworkers. These social service providers gave direct advice and medical, food, and financial assistance in addition to emotional support, but the relationships were nonreciprocal. Clients with the fewest indigenous supports had the most social service links. These findings suggest that mental health services for SMI persons may provide substitute social supports that serve a broader function than more traditional emotional therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Protective functions of health and self-esteem against depression in older adults facing illness or bereavement.

Four functions were examined by which health and self-esteem could ward off depression over time in older adults. Adults (N = 1,074)--55 years and older--were interviewed 5 times at 6-month intervals. Demographic and prevent depression controls were included. Neither health nor self-esteem served as an interactive buffer. Both had direct negative effects on depression, independent of events, over 2 years. Neither illnesses nor bereavements had direct effects on depression; both had indirect effects through other events; illness also had indirect effects by weakening health. Health had stronger preventive effect on illnesses but was more vulnerable to undesirable events than was self-esteem. There was little support for the specificity hypothesis that a close match between event and resource would increase resource effects.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1990

Mental health needs of the chronically mentally ill elderly.

The treatment histories and current social, financial, and clinical status of 111 chronically mentally ill (CMI) persons over the age of 60 were examined. Information was obtained from Ss, family, mental health records, and mental health professionals familiar with Ss. Psychiatric symptoms were observed in 74% of Ss. Many Ss experienced long periods without acute episodes of illness. Recurring episodes eventually appeared in most Ss, however, and ongoing deficits in daily functioning and social contacts were prototypical. Two thirds of the Ss were living in the community, relying heavily on family contacts; the rest lived primarily in nursing homes (23.4%) or psychiatric hospitals (7.2%). Social support was the best predictor of level of functioning. Findings suggest that failure of CMI elderly to use mental health services is not due to lack of need. Mental health services currently do not appear to be meeting the needs of this population.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1989

Age differences in coping: does less mean worse.

Previous research suggests that elderly people utilize fewer coping strategies than younger people. Some researchers suggest that these quantitative changes reflect decreases in the use of maladaptive strategies; others contend that they reflect decreases in the use of adaptive strategies by older adults. The present article reports the findings of three studies of coping in older people, two addressing coping with health problems, and the other addressing coping with moving. In all three studies, the number of self-reported coping strategies decreases with age. Results do not support the idea that decreases in the number of strategies imply decrements in the quality of coping, however: in two studies, age was unrelated to the effectiveness of strategies, in the third, effectiveness ratings were higher for older subjects. The need for evaluation of specific outcomes of coping strategies is discussed, along with the need for task-specific measurement of coping. It is proposed that decreases in the number of coping strategies reflect improved coping efficiency, rather than a deterioration of adaptational skills.

Adaptation, Psychological↗