Use of Psychiatric Drugs among Mothers and their Young Children

Use of medication and semi-luxury foods, tobacco and alcohol as well as
condition of health of mothers and their half-grown children.

Topics: 1. Questions posed to both children and mothers:
self-assessment of condition of health (scale); physical complaints in
the last two years and resulting visits to the doctor and prescription
of medication; medication contained in one´s own medicine chest;
regularity of use of medication with and without medical prescription;
current and earlier use of tobacco; drinks and use of alcohol;
occasions for conversation about the effects of medication.

2. Survey of young people: size of place of residence during
childhood; local residency; socialization authority: parents or home;
marital status and age of parents; employment of mother; break-off of
school education and repeating classes; current education level and
possibly unemployment; change of occupation; type of stress in one´s
occupation; acceptance of roles in games; classification of
relationship to father and mother; characterization of style of
upbringing of father and mother (scale); reference person; use of
parental style of upbringing with one´s own children; leisure activity
on working days and weekends; position in sibling sequence; number of
friends; steady partner; earlier partnerships; length of current
partnership; self-image; image of the typical alcoholic and image of a
typical teetotaler (semantic differential); self-confidence and
self-characterization (scale); type and brand of preferred tobacco
products; reasons for discontinuation of use of tobacco; age at first
use of tobacco; reaction of parents; smoking habits of father, mother
and friends; self-assessment of use of alcohol in comparison to others
of the same age; occasions for use of alcohol as well as for alcohol
excesses; time of day and place for primary use of alcohol; source of
supply of alcohol; others present, age and source of supply at first
consumption of alcohol; characterization of first effect; age at first
alcohol excess; reaction of parents to personal use of alcohol;
information on frequency and amount of use of alcohol by father and
mother; occasions for use of alcohol by parents; alcohol supply and
possibilities of access in the home; physical reactions to consumption
of alcohol and jeopardy from alcohol (scale); psychological and
physical harm considered possible from alcohol abuse; alcoholics in
one´s circle of friends; attitude to alcohol (scale); assumed
percentage of young people and West Germans who drink alcohol; sources
of information about use of alcohol; self-assessment of extent to which
informed about alcohol; judgement on alcohol problems among young
people in general and suggested countermeasures; health orientation
(scale); susceptibility to colds and injuries; type and frequency of
visits to the doctor; sources of information for medications not
prescribed by the doctor; keeping medications by parents; use of
medication by father and mother; attitude to use of medication by
father and mother; attitude to use of medication (scale); judgement on
pharmaceuticals according to their usability as intoxicants; detailed
information on drugs used; age at first use of intoxicants; type and
frequency of use of drugs; assessment of personal inclination to use
intoxicants (scale); use of intoxicants in social surroundings;
self-assessment of extent to which informed about intoxicants; sources
of information about intoxicants; personal standard of punishment for
selected offenses (scale); attitude to the social system in the Federal
Republic; military service performed; desired form of life: partnership
or alone.

3. Mothers survey: importance of areas of life; attitude to use of
medication (scale); frequency of operations and hospital stays in the
last two years; age and sex of children; reference person of
(interviewed) child; susceptibility to illness of target child and
frequency of trips together to the doctor; style of upbringing in the
treatment of pain of the child; personal use of medication and that of
target child; person explaining the effect of medication to the child;
attitude to selected methods of upbringing (scale); meaning of
punishment (rank scale); (with daughters as target child: attitude to
medicinal treatment of menstruation complaints); self-assessment of
condition of health (scale); membership in health insurance company;
length of daily absence from home due to occupation; religiousness;
memberships; residential status; detailed information on presence at
home during the last week.

Demography: age; marital status; religious denomination; frequency of
church attendance; school education; occupation; employment; income;
sources of income; residential status; social origins; memberships.

Interviewer rating: city size; presence of other persons during the
interview and their degree of relationship; intervention of other
persons in the interview; reliability and willingness of respondent to
cooperate; number and time of contact attempts.