Past and present perceived attitudes of schizophrenics in relation to rehospitalization

Twenty-one schizophrenic patients from a depot injection clinic with frequent hospital admissions (relapsers) and 28 who had remained well for 18 months (non-relapsers) were compared using the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and the Influential Relationships Questionnaire (IRQ), a modified version of the PBI. The scales measured patients' past and present representations of significant others, respectively. Results indicated that only present representations of significant others differentiated relapsers from non-relapsers. Subjects were followed up for a 9 month period. The readmitted (n = 8) and the non-readmitted (n = 41) groups were found to be different on the maternal care scales of the PBI and four of the six scales of the IRQ. The perceived attitudes of mothers of non-relapsers and non-readmitted patients tended to improve over time. The importance of the state-trait distinction of perceived attitudes in relation to re-admission to hospital is discussed.