The Family APGAR Index: study on relationship between family function, social support, global stress and mental health perception in women.

The aim of the study was to evaluate how far women are satisfied with their family function to compare the obtained results with the perception of a global stress (S. Cohen PSS) by the women under study and their mental health (D. Goldberg GHQ-28). The study was aided by the Family APGAR Index (designed by G. Smilkstein) used for the first time in Poland. A group of women (n = 98; mean age = 38) with different levels of education and subdivided into four occupational categories was selected for the study. About 75% of women were married and 80% of them had children. The results obtained differ significantly as far as general assessment and individual indicators are concerned. In 16% of women, the results suggest a serious dysfunction of their families. There are distinct differences between individual occupational groups. The general assessment of family function was significantly correlated with the estimate of the global stress (-31), with the total estimate (-26), as well as with the individual indicators of mental health--especially anxiety and sleeplessness (-33) and depression (-29). Women's satisfaction from the function of their families has, therefore, proved to be a significant factor contributing to lower level of the global stress and constituting a barrier against the occurrence of mental health disturbances.