Family Environment of Psychiatric Patients: Study of a North Indian Sample

The study aimed at finding out the relationship of family environment to schizophrenia, affective disorders and neurosis in comparison to control group matched on socio-economic status in a North Indian Sample. 600 subjects-150 schizophrenic patients, 150 patients with affective disorders, 150 neurotics, diagnosed according to ICD-9, were studied. Results (one way ANOVA) revealed that there exists a significant difference in family environment of three categories of patients with psychiatric disorders as well as in comparison to control group. Significantly low scores of cohesiveness, independence, expressiveness, active-recreational orientation and organization, control and moral religious emphasis were found in schizophrenics. Similarly in the families of patients with affective disorders there were less cohesion and control and more expressiveness, conflict, independence and moralrelegious emphasis, while the family of neurotics had low levels of cohesion, intellectual-cultural orientation, active-recreational orientation, organisation and control.