The relationship of family structure and perceived family support to length of hospital stay.

Membership in an extended family has been viewed as beneficial, particularly in time of crisis, because of the support and resources that can be provided a member. In an attempt to confirm this view of the family, a study was conducted among Navajo Indians at the time of hospitalization. Instruments assessed family characteristics regarding extended or nuclear structure and the amount of family support the patient perceived. Scores obtained were correlated with the patient's subsequent length of hospital stay. Perceived support was related to length of stay (r = .28, p < .001), while family structure was not (r = .10, p = .10). As hypothesized, greater perceived support was associated with longer length of stay. The results are consistent with other findings suggesting social systems gain importance from function, not structure. If these results are confirmed in other groups, use of a simple tool for assessing support may assist in predicting length of hospital stay.