Abstract

• This study investigated the anxiety of families of psychiatric patients at discharge. The purpose was to contribute to the improvement of psychiatric nursing care , rehabilitation and social adjustment of psychiatric patients and community mental health. The objectives of this study were to identify the acceptance of the psychiatric nurse by the families, their anxiety at the time of discharge, whether any help was wanted to reduce anxiety, the attitude toward the patient after discharge and feelings about the patients. The population studied consisted of 180 family members of patients from 10 mental hospitals (including local clinic) in Seoul and Kyung-Ki province, from March I to April 30, 1977. The date were collected by an interview schedule, and compared and analysed by Computer using chi-square - test. Results were as follows : 1. Many of the families (83.6 %) expressed a acceptance of psychiatric nurse. 2. A little more than, half of the families (51.1%) experssed happiness but a large ponton (38.9%) had "anxious" feelings at. discharge. 3. Almost all families (32. 6 %) wanted a physician's help to reduce discharge anxiety. Younger families tended to want the physician' s help more. 4. Many of the families(83.1 %) wanted a nurse's help. Families of patients patients admitted for the 1 st time wanted the nurse' s help more. 5 .Comparing the feelings at a previous discharge with the present discharge, 49. 1 % of the familes expressed greater happiness at the latter than the former. 6. More than half of the families responsed positively toward the patient. Unmarried family members responsed more positively than married. Families of 1 st admission patients responsed more positvely than families of readmission patidnts. 7. Many families(78.8 %)had positively feelings toward the patients. More negative responses came from women than from men, from lower education levels, lower incomes and readmission patients.

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