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Ripple effects of developmental disabilities and mental illness on nondisabled adult siblings.

ABSTRACT: Developmental disabilities and severe mental illness are costly to the affected individual and frequently to their family as well. Little studied are their nondisabled siblings. Here we examine major life course outcomes (education, employment, and marriage) of these siblings in adulthood using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Our sample comprises 113 individuals with developmental disabilities and 337 of their nondisabled siblings; 97 individuals with mental illness and 235 of their nondisabled siblings; and 17,126 unaffected comparison group members. We find that siblings of individuals with mental illness have less education and less employment than the unaffected comparison group, whereas those who have a sibling with developmental disabilities had normative patterns of education and employment, but less marriage and more divorce. Robustness tests incorporating genetic data do not change the conclusions based on the nongenetic analyses.

SUBMITTER: Wolfe B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4079586 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Ripple effects of developmental disabilities and mental illness on nondisabled adult siblings.

Wolfe Barbara B Song Jieun J Greenberg Jan S JS Mailick Marsha R MR

Social science & medicine (1982) 20140125

Developmental disabilities and severe mental illness are costly to the affected individual and frequently to their family as well. Little studied are their nondisabled siblings. Here we examine major life course outcomes (education, employment, and marriage) of these siblings in adulthood using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Our sample comprises 113 individuals with developmental disabilities and 337 of their nondisabled siblings; 97 individuals with mental illness and 235 of their ...[more]

PMID: 24607704

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Project description:PurposeTo examine the risk of perinatal mental illness, including new-onset disorders and recurrent or ongoing use of mental health care, comparing women with physical, sensory, intellectual/developmental, and multiple disabilities to those without a disability.MethodsFrom all women aged 15-49 years with a singleton birth in Ontario, Canada (2003-2018), those with physical (n = 144,972), sensory (n = 45,249), intellectual/developmental (n = 2,227), and ≥ 2 of these disabilities ("multiple disabilities"; n = 8,883), were compared to 1,601,363 without a disability on risk of healthcare system contact for mental illness from conception to 365 days postpartum. The cohort was stratified into: (1) no pre-pregnancy mental illness (to identify new-onset illness), (2) distal mental illness (> 2 years pre-pregnancy, to identify recurrent illness), and (3) recent mental illness (0-2 years pre-pregnancy, to identify ongoing contact). Modified Poisson regression generated relative risks (aRR), adjusted for age, parity, income quintile, and rural residence.ResultsAbout 14.7, 26.5, and 56.6% of women with no disabilities had new-onset, recurrent, and ongoing contact for mental illness, respectively, perinatally. Risks were elevated across disability groups for new-onset (physical: aRR 1.18, 95% CI 1.16-1.20; sensory: 1.11, 1.08-1.15; intellectual/developmental: 1.38, 1.17-1.62; multiple: 1.24, 1.15-1.33), recurrent (physical: 1.10, 1.08-1.12; sensory 1.06, 1.02-1.09; intellectual/developmental: 1.24, 1.11-1.37; multiple: 1.16, 1.09-1.23), and ongoing contact (physical: 1.09, 1.08-1.10; sensory: 1.08, 1.06-1.10; intellectual/developmental: 1.31, 1.26-1.37; multiple: 1.20, 1.16-1.23).ConclusionThe heightened use of new, recurrent, and ongoing mental health care across disability groups in the perinatal period suggests that adapted screening and intervention approaches are critical to optimize perinatal mental health in this population.

Project description:BackgroundCompassionate communities have been put forward as a promising model for community-based support for people facing serious illness, caregiving, dying, and loss. In particular, educational institutions are increasingly acknowledged as potential settings to function as compassionate schools and compassionate workplaces, cultivating acceptance and validation of these experiences beyond the university setting.ObjectivesThis paper investigates the activities and outcomes of a compassionate community initiative-the Compassionate University program at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium.DesignRipple Effects Mapping was used to guide the focus group and individual interviews conducted with core team members responsible for the development and implementation of the Compassionate University program.MethodsDuring the focus group and individual interviews, the core team members reflected on the program contributions, with their narratives visually depicted via a hand-drawn mind map. Qualitative data derived from this mind map were entered into XMIND mapping software and fine-tuned based on the focus group and individual interview transcripts and additional project records.ResultsThematic analysis identified four outcome areas that encapsulate the key contributions of the Compassionate University program: (i) increased acceptance and integration of topics such as serious illness, death, and bereavement into existing practices; (ii) broader support for and formalization of compassionate procedures and policies; (iii) emergence of informal networks and internal collaboration on the topics; and (iv) diffusion of compassionate ideas beyond the university.ConclusionThe Compassionate University program facilitates a cultural shift within the university environment, fostering greater acceptance of integrating topics such as serious illness, death, and bereavement into existing practices. Additionally, compassionate procedures and policies for students and staff have been formalized, and core team members are increasingly called upon to provide support on these matters. Notably, Compassionate University stands out as one of the pioneering initiatives in Europe, attracting different educational institutions seeking guidance on cultivating a more compassionate environment.

Project description:We previously reported a schizophrenia associated reduction of neuronal and oligodendrocyte number in the anterior principal thalamic nucleus (APN) in a cohort of severely impaired elderly subjects with schizophrenia (SZ) relative to age matched nonpsychiatric controls (NCs). The present study was undertaken to determine 1) if those findings could be replicated in an independent sample of less chronically impaired subjects with SZ and NCs stratified across a broader age range; 2) if the findings are specific to SZ or are also seen in unipolar major depressive (MDD) or bipolar disorder (BPD); and 3) if the findings are specific to the APN or also seen in another thalamic nucleus. Computer assisted stereological methods were employed to determine the number of neurons and oligodendrocytes in the APN and centromedian nucleus (CMN) of the Nissl-stained thalamic sections maintained by the Stanley Foundation Brain Bank. This collection includes specimens from NCs and age matched subjects with diagnoses of SZ, MDD, or BPD who died between the ages of 25 and 68. Data were analyzed by mixed-effects linear regressions adjusting for demographic variables and known history of exposure to psychotropic medications. Oligodendrocyte number was decreased in both nuclei relative to NCs in subjects with SZ and in that subset of subjects with BPD who had experienced psychotic episodes. Compared to NCs both of these patient groups also exhibited an attenuation of an age-related increase in the number of oligodendrocytes. Contrary to our previous report, we did not detect a SZ-associated deficit in neuronal number in the APN. A history of exposure to neuroleptics, however, was associated with a decrease in neuronal number in both nuclei, but this decrease did not vary in relation to cumulative lifetime neuroleptic exposure in fluphenazine equivalents. Among subjects with psychiatric diagnoses, exposure to lithium was associated with an increase in the number of oligodendrocytes. No effects were detected for exposure to anticonvulsants or for abuse of alcohol or other substances.

Dataset Information

Ripple effects of developmental disabilities and mental illness on nondisabled adult siblings.

Publications

Ripple effects of developmental disabilities and mental illness on nondisabled adult siblings.

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