Predictors for the social adjustment of first admitted psychiatric patients

In a prospectively designed follow-up study of 258 first admitted psychiatric patients, 1 year after discharge 224 patients and 175 significant others were asked about the social adjustment of these patients and some predictors for this aspect of outcome could be identified. The sample consisted of five different diagnostic groups: organically caused psychiatric diseases, schizophrenic psychoses, affective psychoses, neurotic or personality disorders and alcohol or drug dependency. The study shows that statements about the social adjustment of psychiatric patients largely depend on the diagnostic group, both with respect to degree of adjustment and the predictors. Schizophrenic patients were found to be less well socially adjusted than the other patients, with the exception of the alcohol- and drug-addicted patients. For schizophrenic patients, post-hospital social adjustment was primarily determined by indicators of mental illness, such as psychopathological symptoms and length of hospitalization. The social adjustment of addicted patients was primary influenced by vocational variables. For the patients with organic psychiatric disorders, affective psychoses or neurotic/personality disorders, prediction by pre-hospital or hospital variables did not prove to be very useful.