David Spiegel
Publication Details
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Family environment as a predictor of psychiatric rehospitalization.
Am J Psychiatry. 1986; (1): 56-60
The Family Environment Scale scores and demographic characteristics of 108 discharged psychiatric patients were used to predict outcome at 3 months and 1 year. Higher ratings of family expressiveness predicted fewer days of rehospitalization, especially among schizophrenic patients. Higher family cohesion scores predicted better family-rated patient adjustment. The patients were more likely to rate themselves as better adjusted if they had higher incomes, lived with parents rather than a spouse, and came from families with less emphasis on independence. Family environment was a better predictor of rehospitalization than baseline ratings of clinical status, indicating the importance of family support in the community adjustment of chronic psychiatric patients.
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