Social support and resource needs as mediators of recovery after facial injury.

Although many trauma centers provide excellent surgical care, little attention is paid to psychosocial needs and problems of posttrauma adaptation. Social support and resource needs have been identified as significant mediators of recovery after injuries. This article presents an overview of various social and material resources instrumental to psychological adjustment and recovery. It also discusses the ways in which complex social networks can be both beneficial and damaging toward the recovery process and the implications for clinical care of patients with orofacial injury. Finally, appropriate social support resource measuring tools that may be used in clinical settings are presented.

A proof of concept trial of an online psychoeducational program for relatives of both veterans and civilians living with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVES: Family psychoeducation has been found to reduce relapse in schizophrenia but penetration rates are low. In this study, we evaluate the feasibility of an online multifamily group program for relatives of persons with schizophrenia that can be accessed from participants' homes. METHODS: We explored participation rates and evaluations of a 12-month multimodal website intervention. Using a quasi-experimental design, we compared illness outcomes (factors on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, hospitalizations) of persons with diagnosed schizophrenia, and relative distress outcomes (somatic concerns and anxiety/depression subscales on the Brief Symptom Inventory) from relatives participating in the intervention (n = 26) to archival data we had from comparable dyads who received customary care (n = 16). RESULTS: The majority of participants in the program attended more than half the core online support sessions, expressed high levels of satisfaction, and found the technology easy to access. There appeared to be little impact of online participation on clinical status of persons with schizophrenia or relatives' distress, although there was a trend for fewer hospitalizations in the online group. Small sample size is a factor in interpreting results. CONCLUSIONS: Online interventions for relatives of persons with schizophrenia, while feasible, present unique challenges. These include 1) assuring access to the intervention in populations who do not own a computer; 2) addressing privacy concerns; 3) overcoming the special challenges of conducting groups in real time; 4) managing emergent situations adequately; and 5) questions about efficacy.

The interplay of perceived social support and posttraumatic psychological distress following orofacial injury.

Social support is believed to mediate psychosocial recovery in vulnerable populations after trauma. In this study, we examine the relationships between perceived social support and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in a cohort of 287 socio-economically disadvantaged adults with orofacial injury, using 3 waves of data collected over a period of 1 year after the injury. Using structural equation modeling process, we evaluated the cross-lagged effects between perceived social support (PSS) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. We found that PSS had a direct influence on PTSD only when examined concurrently. After controlling the covariates, the model supports the cross-lagged effect for PTSD symptoms on PSS at T2 and T3, which suggests a reciprocal contribution between symptoms and support as time progressed. Our data suggest that, over time, high rates of PTSD symptoms are related to a diminished perception of available social support.