The Role of the Family in Rehabilitation. Rehabilitation Research Review #8.

The report reviews 159 documents (1953-1982) on the role of the family in rehabilitation of persons with disabilities. The documents represent a cross section of ages as well as types and severity of disabilities and include journal articles, books, monographs, and other papers. In content, the documents fall into three major categories: psycho-social aspects (roles and concerns of family members, family reactions and dynamics); intervention with family systems (including counseling/social services and family education); and intervention by family systems (including advocacy activities and skill training). Cited in an analytical synopsis are studies dealing with family stress, counseling processes and outcomes, and change agentry. Literature is also analyzed in terms of type of research product (personal observation and data-based publications). The author concludes that there is a need for more rigorous empirical research and for research on families of older persons with disabilities. Twenty research questions are listed in areas including outcome factors of different approaches, siblings, and effective strategies. The annotated reference list following the synposis is arranged alphabetically by author's last name and provides information on title, source, and date of publication as well as a brief summary. (CL)