Patient-disease characteristics and coping strategies predict hospitalization in emergency psychiatry

Objective: The goal of this study was to analyze how far patient-disease ch aracteristics (sociodemographic variables, previous psychiatric treatment, way of referral, the patient's current diagnosis), and the patient's coping strategies are connected with the consecutive disposition for inpatient or outpatient treatment. Methods: Data from a one-year intake of the psychiat ric emergency service at a University Hospital (N = 1439) were monitored an d analyzed with regard to the decision on treatment. Four hundred eighty-on e patients were hospitalized and 530 were assigned to outpatient treatment. Two subsamples of twenty-eight patients from each group filled out the Ber nese Coping Modes questionnaire before the decision with regard to the trea tment disposition was taken. Results: The patient's psychiatric history, th e way of referral as well as the current axis I diagnosis made a significan t contribution to the treatment decision. Overall, patient-disease characte ristics allowed for correct classification of 69.3 percent of cases. Howeve r, coping was a comparable predictor of hospitalization. Conclusions: It is argued that the search for patient-disease characteristics in the psychiat ric emergency room should be complemented by a more extensive monitoring of the patients' way of coping with their current crisis.