Youth Mental Health Recovery in the Family After Inpatient Stay

NCT06865573 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 01291
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 70
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The goal of this longitudinal mixed-methods study is to investigate caregiver strain, family processes and health outcomes after youth psychiatric inpatient treatment. Caregivers of youth who received inpatient treatment for mental health problems will complete a survey at three timepoints (baseline, 3- and 6- month followup) reporting on youth outcomes, caregiver well-being, and family processes. Qualitative interviews on caregivers' challenges, needs, and resources around the return to home care are conducted with a subsample (target n = 10) of participants. The main research questions (RQs) are: RQ 1: Do family processes contribute to youth mental health outcomes after discharge from inpatient treatment? RQ 1a: What family-level risk factors predict youth readmission to inpatient treatment? RQ 1b: Do family processes predict youth mental health trajectories over time? RQ 2: Is there a reciprocal relationship between youth mental health problems and caregiver burden? RQ 2a: Do family processes mediate the association between caregiver burden and youth mental health problems? RQ 3: How do caregivers experience their children's return to home care? RQ 3a: What challenges and needs do caregivers report? RQ 3b: What types of follow-up services do families receive and/or have access to? RQ 3c: How do caregivers cope with ongoing difficulties in the post-discharge period?

Conditions

Caregiver Burden; Family Characteristics; Parent-Child Interactions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Inpatient readmission

  Occurrence (and admission date) of inpatient mental health treatment after discharge

  Within 6 months

• Youth mental health

  Caregiver-reported youth internalizing and externalizing problems (assessed using the Pediatric Symptom Checklist)

  Change from baseline (T0) to 3-month (T1) and 6-month (T2) follow-up

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Youth health-related quality of life

  Change from baseline (T0) to 3-month (T1) and 6-month (T2) follow-up

Study Arms (1)

caregivers

primary caregivers of youth who received inpatient psychiatric treatment

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

primary caregivers (parents or guardians regardless of the biological relationship to the child) of children and adolescents who received inpatient psychiatric treatment

You may qualify if:

• years or older
• primary caregiver of a child or adolescent aged 7-21 years of any gender who received inpatient treatment in a psychiatric institution in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland (min. 24 h stay) within the past month (regardless of the diagnosis or the reason for the treatment, respectively)
• lived with the child or adolescent in the same household since discharge

You may not qualify if:

• another caregiver of the same child has already participated in the study
• insufficient knowledge of German

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Vienna: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Caregiver Burden

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Stress, Psychological; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Study Officials

• Martina Zemp, Professor

  University of Vienna

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Amos-Silvio E Friedrich

CONTACT

+43 1-4277-47286; amos.friedrich@univie.ac.at

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 5, 2025
• First Posted: March 10, 2025
• Study Start: May 1, 2025
• Primary Completion: April 1, 2026
• Study Completion: April 1, 2026
• Last Updated: March 17, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-03