Widmer, E.D., Orita, A., Gauthier, J.-A., Sénac, N., Cucchia, A.T., Stekel, K., Grasset, F. (2008). How central and connected I am in my family? Bridging and bonding social capital in family configurations of young adults with psychiatric disorders. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, vol. 54, n° 6, pp. 550-561.

This article intends to explores the structures of relational resources that individuals with psychiatric disorders get from their family configurations using the concept of social capital. Methods: The research is based on a sample of 54 individuals with psychiatric disorders and behavioral problems, and a comparison sample of 54 individuals without a clinical record matched to the clinical respondents for age and sex. Standard measures of social capital from social network methods are applied on family configurations of individuals from both samples. Differences are tested by variance analysis. Structures of family resources available to individuals with psychiatric disorders are distinct. Individuals with psychiatric disorders perceive themselves as less central in their family configurations and less connected to their family members. Their significant family members are perceived as less connected with each other. As a whole, their family configurations are smaller and do not include spouses or partners. Therefore, bridging and binding social capitals are not readily available for them. As family configurations of individuals with psychiatric disorders provide less relational resources than other families, they are not able to deal with social integration of individuals with psychiatric disorders on their own.