Outcomes of the treatment climate in psychiatric and substance abuse programs

This study examines how key aspects of the treatment climate are related to program differences in the aggregate behaviors of patients residing in 89 psychiatric or substance abuse facilities. More active support, personal expression, and practical orientation were related to better patient functioning, more patient activity in the facility and in the community, and more use by patients of the program's health-treatment services and social-recreational activities. These results held for both patients' and staff members' consensual perceptions of the treatment climate. On the whole, these aspects of the treatment milieu were especially beneficial for groups of patients with greater psychiatric impairment.