Trial employment: A provisional work setting for psychiatric patients

Objective: This study investigates the effects of probationary work for psy chiatric patients in community-based small businesses during their inpatien t or day care. Methods: Patients were evaluated for working capacity, psych opathology, motivation for work and patient satisfaction (n=69), Results: T he results confirm a high degree of acceptance of this approach as well as significant improvements on various clinical scales such as the Brief Psych iatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF), choice reaction time (Wiener Determ inations-gerat, WDG), attention (Revisionstest) and self-rating of work-rel evant skills. Conclusions: This approach, with its complex demand character istics. may be an effective alternative to occupational therapy, at least f or small therapeutic units.