Long-term psychiatric patients in vocational rehabilitation programmes: a naturalistic follow-up study over 3 years

This paper aims at assessing the vocational integration attained after a 3-year period by psychiatric patients who participated in different vocational rehabilitation programmes.

In the north-western German region of Westphalia-Lippe a naturalistic follow-up study was carried out on 471 patients from three different types of vocational rehabilitation programmes. The sample comprised chronically ill patients with a history of repeated and long-term hospitalization.

After 3 years 11% of the patients were in competitive employment, 67% (still) in sheltered employment, 7% in out-patient work therapy programmes and 15% were unemployed. It is important to notice that 74% achieved their subjective rehabilitation goals expressed at baseline.

Vocational rehabilitation programmes are an essential part in the treatment of people with chronic mental illness. Integration into work varies markedly while patients' satisfaction is comparably good. Competitive employment represents a realistic objective only for patients with high motivation and favourable preconditions.