Burden of care of families not living with young schizophrenic relatives.

A program that provides comprehensive support services to young schizophrenic adults and their families in Montreal was evaluated after one year to assess the needs of families, especially single-parent families, after the young adult patient left home. Results of the evaluation, which employed a case-control design, showed that compared with families receiving the usual services, families in the program reported feeling less burdened by the patients' personal problems. They also received more services and had more contact with professionals. Patients living away from home spent more than 18 hours a week in face-to-face contact with their families. Single parents of mentally ill young adults spent much less time with their offspring and expressed more need for services and a greater burden of care than married parents.