title: [Quality of life in relatives of mentally ill people].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The effects of mental illness on the quality of life of relatives were assessed with the SF-36 (Short Form-36 Health Survey).
  
  
  METHODS
  304 relatives of 360 patients answered the SF-36 at hospital admission. The participant's data (age and gender) were randomizedly paired to data records of the German standard population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Relatives of mentally ill people judged their quality of life, especially their emotional well-being, significantly worse than the standard population. Female relatives estimated themselves as more burdened than male.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  By the means of SF-36 we could show that the quality of life in relatives of mentally ill people is clearly reduced especially in regard of social and psychical ranges.
authors.affiliation: Bezirkskrankenhaus Wöllershof. heribert.fleischmann@medbo.de
authors.forename: Heribert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fleischmann
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klupp
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012016:Reference Values