Care provision and community adjustment of rural consumers with serious mental illness

The purpose of this study was to examine the predictors of successful community living in a sample of rural individuals with severe and persistent mental illness (N = 40). Multimeasure/multisource indicators of consumer status, care provider attitudes, and care provider support provision were employed to predict community adjustment as measured by satisfaction with quality of life. Separate semistructured interviews were conducted with consumers, their case manager, and a family member or adult home provider. Reliability of the measures was established within acceptable limits. The multiple regression analyses showed that life stress and informal care-provider attitudes satisfied the inclusion criteria. R2 was .61 (F[2, 37] = 29.10, p < .001). Quality-of-life satisfaction was predicted primarily by consumer status characteristics.