Return to the family and its consequence for rehospitalization among recently discharged mental patients

This study examined the contribution that living arrangements made to the rehospitalization rates of mental patients discharged to the community during the first 7 months they spent there. Over 20,000 mental patients discharged from psychiatric facilities in the state of New York were categorized on the basis of the living arrangements to which they were discharged. These included living alone, parental, marital, other relatives or friends, and domiciliary settings. The sample was divided in half and results of the analysis of the first sample were replicated on the second sample. Analysis of covariance and multiple regression techniques revealed that patients discharged to marital settings were rehospitalized less than those discharged to other settings, and that there were no differences in the return rates among the remaining settings. The major predictor of rehospitalization was the number of previous hospitalizations. The implications of these findings for further research on supportive as well as stressful parameters of community and family settings are discussed.