Although some studies have examined the characteristics of the social
networks of severely mentally ill clients living in the community, little
research has been done on gender differences in the structure of such
networks. In the study reported in this article, 57 male and 68 female
clients of two assertive community treatment teams were surveyed to
determine their involvement in social-network clusters, the size of
their personal networks, and the levels of perceived support from
friends and family. Although the sizes of the men's and women's
overall networks were similar, there were differences in the composition of some clusters. The implications of these findings for targeting
interventions that will enhance the community supports of male and
female clients with severe mental illnesses are presented.
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