Psychiatric rehabilitation in community-based day centres: motivation and satisfaction

This study investigated attendees' motivation and motives for participation in day centres and their satisfaction with the rehabilitation, while also addressing the influence of day centre orientation (work- or meeting-place orientation), gender and age.

Ninety-three Swedish day centre attendees participated in a cross-sectional study and completed questionnaires about motivation, motives, and satisfaction with the rehabilitation. Data were analysed with non-parametric statistics.

The participants were highly motivated for going to the day centre and set clear goals for their rehabilitation. Female gender, but not age, was associated with stronger motivation. The strongest motives for going to the day centre were getting structure to the day and socializing. Attendees at work-oriented day centres more often expressed that they went there to get structure to the day and gain social status. Satisfaction with the rehabilitation was high, and the most common wishes for further opportunities concerned earning money and learning new things.

The rehabilitation largely seemed to meet the attendees' needs, but the findings indicated that further developments were desired, such as participation in work on the open market and more work-like occupations in the day centre, accompanied by some kind of remuneration.