Quality of life in the course of deinstitutionalisation - Part IV of the Berlin Deinstitutionalisation Study

As part of the Berlin Deinstitutionalisation Study, quality of life was ass essed in 142 patients at two points of time. Discharged patients were reass essed one year after discharge. Patients who stayed in hospital were reinte rviewed 1(1/2)-2 years after the initial assessment. Discharged patients ha d more leisure activities, more often a "good friend", and more frequent so cial contacts. They were less often victim of a crime within the last year. In a cross-sectional comparison, they were significantly more satisfied wi th their life than patients who were still in hospital. In the latter group , only satisfaction with mental health improved significantly between first and second interview. Discharged patients became significantly more satisf ied with their life in general, with leisure activities, with accommodation , and with mental health between initial assessment and follow-up. The find ings demonstrate an improvement of quality of life in long-term hospitalise d patients after discharge.