Socialisation scheme with a high staff-patient ratio

• Published in: International journal of social psychiatry 1981, Vol.27 (4), p.243-252
• Main Authors: Hollander, D, Rao, V B, McManoman, E, Harrington, N, Weeks, A, Mann, A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Adult; Aged; Female; Humans; Long-Term Care; Male; Mental Disorders - psychology; Mental Disorders - rehabilitation; Middle Aged; Patient Care Team; Professional-Patient Relations; Schizophrenia - rehabilitation; Social Adjustment; Socialization
• ISSN: 0020-7640; 1741-2854

Six months after a comprehensive socialisation scheme began, a prospective controlled study was carried out. The patients were tested in three practical sections - Cooking; Maintenance of Home and Clothing; Other Skills (eg. form-filling); and with a Questionnaire. Forty-eight members of an experimental group received socialisation training after initial testing. They and the 20 controls who did not undergo training were re-evaluated three months later. There was no significant difference between the groups in their initial scores. On retesting, the experimental group showed a significant improvement in Cooking (p less than 0.001), Home Maintenance (p less than 0.001) and the Questionnaire (p less than 0.05). Analysis of the inter-group differences showed significant superiority of the experimental group in Cooking (p less than 0.05) and Home Maintenance (p less than 0.05). It is suggested that such a socialisation scheme be considered for inclusion alongside other rehabilitation services in psychiatric hospitals. The emphasis on a high staff-to-patient ratio and the breakdown of each task into smaller steps emerged as essential elements in the training programme.