Aims: This study evaluated the perceived quality of life of the former psychiatric patients (N = 103) who have been moved from the Psychiatric Hospital of Leros to community hostels (N = 19) in Leros Island. In addition, the residents’ clinical and social functioning profiles were examined together with the extent of institutional practices by the staff in residents’ environment.

Method: The present research is a cross-sectional study examining the impact of the transformation programmes Leros I and Leros II on the well-being of long-term psychiatric clients following the move.

Results: The majority of the residents expressed high levels of satisfaction, in almost all variables of quality of life, except the variable of contact with family relations. The level of psychopathology was very low, while the majority of residents expressed low community and social skills. Finally, the staff (N = 64) allowed in a way, the expression of autonomy in the residents’ environment.

Conclusions: This study suggests that even the most chronic psychiatric population of Greece is able to give valid and reliable responses concerning the manner in which they perceive their present life.

Aim: The primary aim of the study is to empirically derive the factorial structure of the VDS to support its use as a culturally responsive depression screening tool in community samples of Vietnamese adults.

Method: The factorial structure, reliability, and associations of the VDS factors with recognized socio-demographic correlates were examined using data collected from interviews with a non-probability community sample of 180 Vietnamese refugee adults in the Houston area.

Results: The empirically derived factorial structure of the VDS approximated the theorized conceptualization of depression introduced by the scale’s originators. Three factors (depressed affect, somatic symptoms, and cultural-specific symptoms) accounted for 65% of the variance. As hypothesized, the VDS factors correlated with age and acculturation variables.

Conclusion: Overall results suggest that the conceptualization of depression among this sample of Vietnamese refugees has both universal and culturally specific features. Implications for providing culturally responsive mental health services are offered.

Aims: To contribute to a better understanding of culture and ethnicity in youth violence among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders by quantifying ethnic forms of social capital.

Methods: We use an n = 326 sample of three API groups from Oahu, Hawaii. Defining social capital as ethnic practice, we test Filipino, Hawaiian and Samoan forms of youth social capital on intimate and non-intimate violence.

Results: Bivariate findings associate lower violence with language ability among Filipinos, coming-of-age practices among Hawaiians, and community leader engagement among Samoans. Multivariate tests showed language to be the strongest correlation. Bivariate tests also suggested potentially risky forms of social capital.

Conclusions: Results lead us to hypothesize that social capital that deliberately places individuals within their respective ethnic communities are risk-reducing, as are those that promote formal ethnic community structures. Those that formalize ethnic practice and social capital into commercial activities may be associated with higher risk of violence. Given the relatively small sample size and the exploratory approach for the present investigation, further research is needed to determine whether the findings can be replicated and to extend the findings of the present preliminary study.

Methods: In total 185 British adults, recruited by a market research company, completed a four-part questionnaire, lasting about 20 minutes.

Results: Participants were generally very positive about psychotherapy believing the experience to be highly beneficial. Schizophrenia was seen to have a biological basis; depression and bipolar disorder were perceived to have family, work and other stress-related causal issues; obsessive-compulsive disorder was seen to be caused by stress and family-related issues. Participants thought psychotherapy a very effective treatment but drug treatments more effective for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. ‘Talking it over’ was judged highly relevant, specifically to depression. Participants believed that depression had a good chance of cure, and remission, but that neither schizophrenia nor bipolar disorder had much chance of an effective cure.

Conclusion: Lay people show a curious pattern on insight, ignorance and naivety with regard to the cause and cure of mental disorders. They appear to have a modestly realistic but somewhat naive view of the process and efficacy of psychotherapy. This may influence how they react to their own and others’ mental illness. It has clear implications for education in psychiatric literacy.

Method: SRQ-20 was used to evaluate 959 participants from 10 communities of Hangzhou City and 60 participants from two community primary care centres for the presence of mental disorders. Discriminative, concurrent, and construct validity as well as internal consistency and screening properties of SRQ-20 were evaluated.

Results: Cronbach’s for SRQ-20 was 0.90 for primary care and 0.91 for the community. Item-total correlation coefficients ranged from 0.40 to 0.73 in primary care, and from 0.51 to 0.69 in the community. The test-retest correlation coefficient was 0.93 in primary care and 0.94 in the community. Varimax-rotated principal component analysis of the SRQ-20 items yielded three factors: depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and somatic symptoms. The area under the ROC curve was 0.83 (SE =0.04, 95% CI 0.75—0.90) for the community and primary care samples. The optimal cut-off point for SRQ-20 was 6/7 yielding sensitivity of 93% and specificity of 62%.

Conclusion: SRQ-20 appears to be a reliable and valid measure of mental disorders in the community in China.

Aims: This study investigates whether there are interactions between the mode of care (inpatient versus day-care treatment) and characteristics of the social network.

Methods: Fifty seven matched pairs (inpatients, day-care patients) with mental or psychosomatic disorders were assessed with the Multidimensional Social Contact Circle Questionnaire (MuSC-Q). Patients and their partners were asked to characterize their mutual relationship.

Results: Patients who were married or living together with a partner were more often treated in day care. Social integration and social strain similarly decreased during inpatient and day-care treatment whereas emotional support increased. While both patient groups evaluated the relationship to their partner similarly, the partners of day-care patients saw more strain on their relationship during hospitalization.

Conclusion: The results suggest that patients who do not live alone prefer the day-care treatment facility. Patients in both modes of care at the end see their partnership as more supportive. For their partners, day care means that they have greater burdens to cope with when the patient is in treatment and still at home.

Methods: Focus group discussions were used to explore the experiences of Ethiopian female domestic migrants to Middle Eastern countries, comparing those who developed severe mental illness with those remaining mentally well.

Discussion: Prominent self-identified threats to mental health included exploitative treatment, enforced cultural isolation, undermining of cultural identity and disappointment in not achieving expectations. Participants countered these risks by affirming their cultural identity and establishing socio-cultural supports.

Conclusions: Mental health of migrant domestic workers may be jeopardized by stressors, leading to experience of social defeat.

Method: This was a retrospective chart review. Demographic and clinical data were extracted from case records of FDWs who were admitted for the first time as inpatients for psychiatric treatment to three regional hospitals of the same catchment area in Hong Kong between 2000 and 2004. Relevant socio-demographic data on local FDWs and the general population of Hong Kong were obtained from local government departments.

Results: Twenty-seven Filipino and 14 Indonesian FDWs presenting with their first and so far only psychiatric admission were identified. There were significantly more FDWs who were single or never married in the sample. Filipino FDWs tended to fall ill after 4 years of service in Hong Kong while the corresponding figure for Indonesian FDWs was 2 years. Indonesian FDWs were older and had less access to social and medical services than their Filipino counterparts. Home sickness and marital problems were more commonly identified as stressors rather than workrelated difficulties. Acute and Transient Psychotic Disorder (ICD-10) was diagnosed in over 60% of the subjects, making FDWs two times more vulnerable than local women of similar age for this illness.

Conclusions: FDWs constitute a vulnerable group in terms of psychiatric morbidity. Concerted political, social and psychological efforts would be require to alleviate the distress faced by this particularly disadvantaged subset of female expatriates.

Methods: This article describes a qualitative study of student perspectives on suicidal behaviour and its prevention. Focus groups were held with students 17—20 years of age. A discussion of the perceived causes of suicidal behaviour provided the context for discussing prevention efforts.

Conclusion: Participants identified pathways to suicidal behaviour and emphasized experiential aspects and the variability of fatal intent. Suggestions for prevention tended to emphasize the strengthening of community-oriented actions in order to better realize lethal means restrictions.

Method: Four villages in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India that had stopped using chemical pesticides in favour of non-pesticide management (NPM) were visited to assess any change in suicide incidence before and after discontinuation of chemical pesticides. Four similar villages in the same region that continued to use chemical pesticides were used as controls for comparison.

Results: In the pesticide-free villages there were 14 suicides before introduction of NPM and only three suicides thereafter. The percentage of suicides not reported to authorities was 47%.

Conclusion: Restriction of pesticide availability and accessibility by NPM has the potential to reduce pesticide suicides, in addition to psychosocial and health interventions.

Methods: The study group involved 173 obese subjects aged 47.0 ± 16.5 years, body mass index (BMI) 36.1 ± 6.3, weight 96.2 ± 18.3 kg. The body weight and height were measured and BMI was calculated. Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) was used for the evaluation of depressive symptoms.

Results: Severe depression was diagnosed in 84 subjects (mean BMI 37.5 ± 6.3, mean weight 98.1 ± 17.6 kg, age 48.7 ± 16.0, 22.2 ± 1.6 points), mild depression was diagnosed in 65 subjects (mean BMI 34.7 ± 4.8, mean weight 95.3 ± 18.1 kg, age 45.9 ± 16.6; 10.8 ± 2.0 points), and 24 subjects (mean BMI 35.0 ± 8.7, mean weight 92.2 ± 21.1 kg, age 44.0 ± 17.5, 6.5 ± 0.5 points) did not have depression. We observed dif-ferences in BMI between subjects without depression and severe depression (p < 0.05) and between mild and severe depression. We did not observe differences of age and body mass between these subgroups. Correlations between weight, BMI and BDI score were found in all subjects.

Conclusion: Depression often accompanies obesity. The depression levels increased in morbidly obese persons in comparison to moderately obese patients.

Aims: To determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression and evaluate associated factors, including domestic violence, among pregnant women in an urban community in Pakistan.

Methods: All pregnant women living in identified areas of Hyderabad, Pakistan were screened by government health workers for an observational study on maternal characteristics and pregnancy outcomes. Of these, 1,368 (76%) of eligible women were administered the validated Aga Khan University Anxiety Depression Scale at 20—26 weeks of gestation.

Results: Eighteen per cent of the women were anxious and/or depressed. Psychological distress was associated with husband unemployment (p = 0.032), lower household wealth (p = 0.027), having 10 or more years of formal education ( p = 0.002), a first (p = 0.002) and an unwanted pregnancy ( p < 0.001). The strongest factors associated with depression/anxiety were physical/sexual and verbal abuse; 42% of women who were physically and/or sexually abused and 23% of those with verbal abuse had depression/anxiety compared to 8% of those who were not abused.

Conclusions: Anxiety and depression commonly occur during pregnancy in Pakistani women; rates are highest in women experiencing sexual/physical as well as verbal abuse, but they are also increased among women with unemployed spouses and those with lower household wealth. These results suggest that developing a screening and treatment programme for domestic violence and depression/anxiety during pregnancy may improve the mental health status of pregnant Pakistani women.

Aims: To develop and validate a Questionnaire on Users’ Opinions (QOU) about schizophrenia, in close collaboration with 279 persons affected by this disorder.

Methods: A preliminary list of items concerning the opinions of users with schizophrenia regarding causes, treatments and psychosocial consequences of the disorder was developed by 38 users with schizophrenia and 40 professionals who attended a workshop. Psychometric properties of the QOU were tested on 241 users with schizophrenia, 149 of whom were randomly assigned to a test—retest study and 92 to a face-validity study. Content and construct validity were explored in the whole sample.

Results: The final version of the QOU contains: (1) 24 items on the psychosocial consequences of schizophrenia, grouped into six subscales, whose Cronbach’s alpha ranged between 0.55 and 0.74; (2) five multiple choice items on the Italian psychiatric law; (3) 12 open questions; and (4) four yes/no skipping items. Items’ reliability, measured by Cohen’s kappa coefficient, ranged between 0.55 and 0.92.

Conclusion: This questionnaire may be useful to assess patients’ beliefs about schizophrenia and to target psychosocial interventions for this mental disorder.

Method: A total of 172 participants completed the Armenian CES-D Scale, the Mood Rating Scale, the Armenian Psychological Well-Being Scale and the General Family Functioning Scale. The factor structure and internal consistency of the Armenian CES-D and its correlation with the remaining measures were evaluated.

Results: Two factors correlating r = 0.34 with each other were obtained. The depression factor comprised 16 psychological, somatic and interpersonal expressions of depressive symptoms and correlated r = 0.97 with Armenian CES-D scores. The well-being factor comprised four positive expressions of affect and correlated r = 0.34 with Armenian CES-D scores. Depression scores correlated r = —0.39 with psychological well-being scores, r = —0.34 with mood ratings and r = —0.23 with family functioning scores; the comparable correlations for well-being scores were r = —0.46, r = —0.41, and r = —0.33, respectively.

Conclusions: The Armenian CES-D is likely measuring two distinct aspects of mental health, depression and well-being, and the depression factor may be as adequate in measuring the Armenian depressed mind as the 20-item Armenian CES-D Scale.

Aims: To assess mental and residual effects of exposure to SPV. To validate a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) assessment tool in Quechua-speaking Peru.

Method: Survey of 373 individuals aged 15 and over using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-25) and a Trauma Questionnaire (TQ), derived from the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. Sociodemographics were recorded. Reliability was assessed. Data reduction used factor analysis and modelling multiple regressions.

Results: A quarter of the sample had symptoms compatible with PTSD. Questionnaire reliability ranged from 0.81 to 0.89. Factor analysis confirmed high construct validity for TQ and HSCL-25. Modelling showed a strong association of PTSD-related symptoms and expressions of distress with the degree of exposure to SPV, especially among returnees.

Conclusions: Long-term consequences of exposure to SPV take the form of PTSD, anxiety and depressive disorders, and culturally formulated expressions of distress. Some implications for clinicians are discussed.

Aim: To offer a distinctively psychological perspective on these key social and mental health problems.

Method: Scholarly review of the relevant literature.

Results: This article presents a coherent model — the mediating psychological processes model — addressing the complex, interconnected, nature of these problems. The mediating psychological processes model suggests that disruption or dysfunction in psychological processes is a final common pathway in the development of mental disorder and social problems. The model proposes that biological, social and circumstantial factors lead to mental disorder, crime and other social problems through their conjoint effects in influencing or disrupting relevant psychological processes.

Conclusions: The implications for policy, and implementation of policy, are discussed.

Aim: To study the impact of parental mental illness on the self-concept of adult children.

Method: Thirty subjects who had one parent diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia formed the study group, and 30 subjects, matched on age and gender with the study group, formed the control group. Subjects were assessed using a socio-demographic and clinical data sheet and a self-concept scale.

Results: The results showed that the study group had significantly poorer self-concept compared to the control group. The current clinical status of the parents had an impact on the family self-esteem of the children. Subjects who were above 10 years of age at the onset of the parental mental illness had a poorer self-concept, as compared to those who were below 10 years at the onset of illness in their parents.

Conclusions: The results provide evidence for poor self-concept in adult children of schizophrenic parents compared to children of normal parents.

Aims: To explore the benefits and drawbacks of an intentional friendship programme (Compeer, Inc), which develops new social relationships for people with SMI by matching them in one-to-one relationships with community volunteers for weekly social activities.

Methods: Twenty clients and volunteers, in Compeer friendships for different lengths of time, participated in individual semi-structured qualitative interviews. Several volunteers were themselves current or former consumers of mental health services.

Results: Participants reported numerous benefits to participating in Compeer. Clients and volunteers spoke enthusiastically about the benefits of gaining a friend. Many intentional relationships deepened over several years into mutually beneficial friendships. Most clients became more outgoing, sociable and active, with increased self-esteem, self-worth and self-confidence. Volunteers who had experienced mental illness themselves provided unique added benefits to the relationship. Drawbacks were minimal and financial and other costs to volunteers were low.

Conclusions: Intentional friendships can be a potent yet cost-effective way to help people with SMI develop social skills, expand their social networks, and improve their quality of life. However, because relationships take several years to develop, quantitative evaluations using short follow-up periods may underestimate programme effectiveness.

Aims: To evaluate the association of emigration of husband and depressive symptoms (DS) among women who stay in Mexico. We also tested the hypothesis that the husband's migration would increase the woman's autonomy, which in turn would decre se DS.

Methods: A survey was conducted in a rural area in Mexico. Participants (n = 418) were selected through probabilistic sampling in three stages: localities, households and individuals. DS were evaluated using the Centre for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale.

Results: Having a partner in the USA was associated with higher odds of scoring above the cut-off point in CES-D (OR 3.77, 95% CI 1.92—7.43). Economic autonomy was also associated with DS (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.04—2.02).

Conclusion: Migration of husband was associated with DS among women. The construct of autonomy and its operational definition should be further explored.

Aims: To examine the correlation between obesity-induced stress and depressive symptoms in Korean elementary school students.

Methods: The study participants were 2,305 elementary school children and their parents in the districts of Jeju-si, Seogwipo-si, Namjeju-gun and Bukjeju-gun on Jeju Island, Korea, who completed questionnaires involving demographic information, an obesity-induced stress scale and the Korean form of Kovacs' Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) from September to December 2006.

Results: After controlling for significant independent variables that are wellknown correlates of depressive symptoms in children (e.g. age, gender, residence, family monthly income, obesity status of both parents, family history of chronic illness, and time spent with mother), obesity-induced stress had an odds ratio of 1.128 (95% CI 1.111—1.146).

Conclusions: Reducing the prevalence of depressive symptoms in elementary school children in Jeju Island will require special attention, particularly the development of coping strategies to resolve obesity-induced stress in various areas including school, family and society.

Aims: To ascertain which factors people regard as decisive to their own recovery and what makes them beneficial.

Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 58 persons in Sweden who had recovered from severe mental illness. Interviews were qualitatively analyzed using grounded theory.

Results: Three dimensions of contributing recovery factors were identified. Social relationships emerged as the core category throughout these dimensions.

Conclusions: The results show that recovery processes are social processes in which social relationships play a key role.

Material: In-depth qualitative interviews of 15 consumers in recovery and their caregivers were held. Over a research period of two years, consumers were interviewed twice. The dialogue of each interview was transcribed into text and a narrative summary of the storyline for each participant was also prepared.

Discussion: For most consumers, the journey of recovery was an incremental process of progress, yet few of them mentioned a turning point and its significant change on their life. Regaining social roles seemed to be a necessary but not sufficient outcome indicator for recovery. While symptom remission, mental strength and parental support were the cornerstones for recovery, the treatment model and professionals got the credit for it too.

Conclusion: The recovery process occurs within a complex context of various stages and multi-facilitators. The forces of three cornerstones, essential components and contextual facilitators all influx into the river of recovery and emerge as one united mechanism that supports the consumer's spiral progress through the journey of striving for autonomy.

Aim: To investigate sources, degree of knowledge and attitudes towards PWS in Greece.

Method: A cross-sectional nationwide survey was conducted by face-to-face household interviews ( n = 1,199, aged 15 years and over).

Results: Television was the main source of information (65.9%). Negative portrayals of PWS were recalled by 60.5%. Only 27.7% attributed schizophrenia to a combination of psychosocial, genetic and environmental factors. Respondents believed that PWS are dangerous (74.6%), have split personalities (81.3%) and cannot work (83.2%). Regarding attitudes, a negative relationship between closeness and social distance was observed. Most respondents (92.1%) would not marry someone with schizophrenia, half (50.5%) would be disturbed by working with PWS and one third (32.9%) would feel afraid to start a conversation. Urban residence and higher education were generally associated with better knowledge and more positive attitudes towards PWS.

Conclusions: Knowledge about schizophrenia in Greece is poor. The Greek public has stigmatizing attitudes towards PWS. Educational interventions should especially target rural and semi-urban residents of a lower educational level. The role of television can be crucial.

Aims: This qualitative study aimed to examine homeless young people's views about seeking psychological help for their problems.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 16 homeless young people at an emergency hostel. A thematic analysis and an analysis of the participants' narratives were undertaken.

Results: A sense of hurt and anger at the perceived betrayal by their families and society made many participants reluctant to seek help and to trust help offered by others, and accordingly they placed a high value on self-sufficiency. Many said that they would, however, seek help from people whom they perceived to be genuine, caring, trustworthy, empathic and capable of containing their distress.

Conclusion: Mental health professionals providing clinical services for this underserved population need to be aware of the importance of rejection and abandonment issues, along with the consequent hurt, anger and mistrust.

Aim: To investigate the prevalence and correlates of social phobia in patients with schizophrenia.

Method: Diagnosis of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders as well as co-morbid anxiety disorders was established according to DSM-IV and the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnosis (SCID-P Hebrew version). Severity of psychotic symptoms and social anxiety symptoms was assessed with the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) and the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS).

Results: The cohort studied included 117 patients with schizophrenia. Thirteen patients were diagnosed as suffering from co-morbid social phobia (11%). There was a tendency for patients with co-morbid social phobia to have higher severity PANSS total score. There was a significant correlation between the score of the LSAS `fear' and PANSS positive subscales. Avoidance scores were higher among patients with negative signs.

Conclusion: Co-morbidity of schizophrenia and social anxiety disorder is not rare among patients with schizophrenia. Treatment implications need be further investigated.

Methods: The Psychosis Screening Questionnaire (PSQ) and General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) were administered to all immigrants residing at the hotel during two index days with the help of a cultural mediator. Socio-demographic, migration and health characteristics were also collected.

Results: Sixty eight subjects were evaluated. More than 80% had left Romania for economic reasons. Of immigrants, 57% exceeded the four-point GHQ-12 threshold of potential mental disorder and 19% scored positively at the PSQ. Immigrants with positive PSQ showed higher mean GHQ-12 scores (5.9 ± 3.5 vs. 3.8 ± 2.75; p = 0.02). The development of post-migration health problems significantly predicts positive PSQ cases even after adjusting for age, sex and GHQ-12 dichotomized score (OR = 21.2, CI = 1.1—169.4).

Conclusion: This community of immigrants living in deprived conditions showed a high prevalence of distress and psychotic symptoms, related to health problems. Preventing excess of psychosis among immigrants and ethnic minorities in critical socio-economic conditions should mean, first and foremost, facilitating social integration and access to primary care.

Aim and Method: This paper examines the history of the development of both professional groups in both countries, and their education and training.

Results: Demand, supply and economic factors are important influences and reasons for these differences.

Conclusions: Both professions have critical future workforce roles, but further consideration needs to be given to the extent to which their skills and values overlap in order to inform future workforce planning, and to reduce the extent to which the workforce pattern in both countries risks being over-determined by supply issues.

Aim: To establish the relationship between perceived positive parenting support and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in children exposed to war trauma.

Methods: A random sample of 412 children aged 12—16 years was selected from the Gaza Strip and was assessed using the Gaza Traumatic Events Checklist (GTEC), the SCID (DSM-IV) and the Perceived Parenting Support Scale (PPSS).

Results: Palestinian children were exposed to different types of war-traumatic events. The number of exposed traumatic events was independently associated with the severity of post-traumatic symptoms scores or the diagnosis of PTSD, while perceived parenting support was found to act as a protective factor in this association.

Conclusions: Interventions in war zones need to ensure the minimal possible disruption to communities and family units, and to involve parents in preventive or treatment programmes for children exposed to trauma.

Aims: The aim of this study was to describe the general population's social representations of the disabled and analyze their relationship with the discriminatory practices from the state towards the mentally ill with respect to their right to health.

Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of the First National Survey on Discrimination in Mexico. In the survey 1,437 effective interviews that comprised a representative sample, were obtained from people aged 18 to 60 living in rural and urban settings. The response rate was 76.5%. The assessment tool was a self-administered questionnaire that yielded perceptions, attitudes, values and social representations about discrimination towards groups of people that supposedly were targets of discrimination by the general population. In the survey the mentally ill were included under disability. As a secondary analysis of the survey for the purpose of this study, we selected a subset of questions that provided important information about social representations of the general Mexican population towards persons with disabilities. The general population's social representations of the disabled were analyzed.

Results: The disabled are the second group after the elderly perceived as the most discriminated and neglected and bearing more suffering. A whole set of negative representations concerning the disabled, such as lack of acceptance and respect, low self-confidence, mistreatment, incomprehension, isolation, intolerance, indifference and bad attitudes from others, were elicited.

Conclusions: Social representations are social correspondents of the discriminatory practices that the state exerts toward the mentally ill with respect to their right to health. These representations serve to maintain, naturalize and legitimize these practices. All sectors of society should make an effort to change the negative social representations towards this vulnerable section of society.

Method: The WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire was completed through interviews with 275 patients who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass surgery in Tehran Heart Centre between May and September 2006.

Results: No significant differences were found in the mean scores of the four domains of quality of life between the addicted and non-addicted patients. Furthermore, the evaluation of QOL in the groups with CAD risk factors showed that the mean QOL domains were statistically similar between opium addicted and non-opium addicted patients. In the addicted group, men had a higher psychological health score than women. A previous history of myocardial infarction reduced the psychological score in this group. Also, in the addicted patients with a history of diabetes mellitus, social functioning was better than that of the non-diabetics.

Conclusions: The different domains of quality of life in our opium-addicted and non-addicted patients with CAD were similar; and among all the major risk factors for coronary artery disease, only female gender and a previous history of myocardial infarction could influence quality of life in the opium-addicted patients.

Method: Content analysis and non-parametric tests were used for the exploration of qualitative and quantitative data collected from 38 carers.

Results: The majority of the satisfied carers were male and from a higher socio-economic group than other carers. The ill relatives of all satisfied participants resided outside their family homes. Carer satisfaction was associated with such categories as: a caring service; supportive and unintrusive family relationships; being accepted as partners; supportive community; and suitable family services. All the identified categories were interrelated.

Conclusions: The identified categories and socio-demographic factors should be considered for inclusion in the planning and evaluation of family support services.

Methods: Demographic and employment data were collected by face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire that included (as the mental health instrument) the General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12). The initial interview took place after the immigrants had been resident in New Zealand for an average of five months. Four subsequent interviews were conducted annually (1999—2002) on or about the anniversary of the first interview.

Results and Conclusion: Rather than an initial euphoric period followed by a mental health crisis, the results indicated poor mental health status in the first two years irrespective of employment status. Thereafter, mental health slightly improved as did employment rates. A surprising result was that although the South Africans had the highest employment rate, there were neither substantial mental health differences among the three groups nor was there a significant improvement during the course of the longitudinal study.