title: Conceptual problems in dependency research.
abstract: The problems presented by dependency groups have become a key issue for health care and social policy in all advanced countries. Providers and policy makers have looked to researchers to develop and apply measures of dependency which will provide a basis for rational planning and service provision. Attempts to define and classify dependency are notable by their absence from the empirical literature. This paper offers a general definition of dependency and develops a classification system based on needs for help and the sources of these needs. Existing measures tackle only a very limited range of problems within this matrix. Issues of reciprocity and dimensions of severity are dealt with separately before considering the implications of this discussion for future research.
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D003858:Dependency, Psychological; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006803:Human Development; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D012106:Research