Background: The quality of life experiences of the chronically mentally ill have received increased attention in outcome research lately and constitute a critical outcome of mental health.
Aims: This study evaluated the perceived quality of life of the former psychiatric patients (N = 103) who have been moved from the Psychiatric Hospital of Leros to community hostels (N = 19) in Leros Island. In addition, the residents’ clinical and social functioning profiles were examined together with the extent of institutional practices by the staff in residents’ environment.
Method: The present research is a cross-sectional study examining the impact of the transformation programmes Leros I and Leros II on the well-being of long-term psychiatric clients following the move.
Results: The majority of the residents expressed high levels of satisfaction, in almost all variables of quality of life, except the variable of contact with family relations. The level of psychopathology was very low, while the majority of residents expressed low community and social skills. Finally, the staff (N = 64) allowed in a way, the expression of autonomy in the residents’ environment.
Conclusions: This study suggests that even the most chronic psychiatric population of Greece is able to give valid and reliable responses concerning the manner in which they perceive their present life.
Abbey, A. & Andrews, F.M. ( 1985) Modeling the psychological determinations of life quality . Social Indicators Research, 16, 1-34.
2.
Aggelidis, G., Constantinidou, S., Gaitatzi, C. & Zella, P. ( 1994) Evaluation of quality of life of chronic psychiatric patients living in hostels. Presentation in 26th Nursing Congress.
3.
Angermeyer, M. & Kilian, R. ( 1997) Theoretical models of quality of life for mental disorders . In Quality of Life in Mental Disorders (eds. H. Katschnig, H. Freeman & N. Sartorius). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
4.
Bachrach, L.L. ( 1982) Assessment of outcomes in community support systems: Results, problems and limitations. Schizophreni Bulletin, 8, 39-61.
5.
Bachrach L.L. ( 1975) Deinstitutionalization: An Analytical Review and Sociological Perspective. Washington, DC: US Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
6.
Baker, F. & Intagliata, J. ( 1982) Quality of life in the evaluation of community support systems. Evaluation and Program Planning, 5, 69-79.
7.
Barry, M.M. & Crosby, C. ( 1996) Quality of life as en evaluative measure in assessing the impact of community care on people with long-term psychiatric disorders . British Journal of Psychiatry, 168, 210-216.
8.
Barry, M.M. ( 1997) Well-being and life satisfaction as components of quality of life in mental disorders. In Quality of Life in Mental Disorders (eds. H. Katschnig, H. Freeman & N. Sartorius ). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
9.
Barry, M.M., Crosby, C. & Bogg, J. ( 1993) Methodological issues in evaluating the quality of life of long-stay psychiatric patients. Journal of Mental Health , 2, 43-56.
10.
Bouras, N., Webb, Y., Clifford, P., Papadatos, Y. & Zouni, M. ( 1992) A needs survey among patients in Leros asylum. British Journal of Psychiatry, 161, 75-79.
11.
Hall, J. & Baker, R. ( 1984) The REHAB: Users Manual. Aberdeen: Vine Publishing.
12.
Lamb, H.R. ( 1979) The new asylums in the community. Archives of General Psychiatry, 36, 129-134.
13.
Lamb, H.R. ( 1981) What did we really expect from deinstitutionalization ? Hospital Community Psychology, 32, 105-109.
14.
Leff, J., Thornicroft, G., Coxhead, N. & Crawford, C. ( 1994) The TAPS Project. 22: A five-year follow-up of long-stay psychiatric patients discharged to the community. British Journal of Psychiatry, 165 (Suppl. 25), 13-17.
15.
Lehman, A.F. ( 1997) Instruments for measuring quality of life in mental illnesses . In Quality of Life in Mental Disorders (eds. H. Katschnig, H. Freeman & N. Sartorius). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
16.
Lehman, A.F. & Burns, B.J. ( 1996) Severe mental illness in the community. In Quality of Life and Pharmacoeconomics in Clinical Trials (ed. S. Bilker). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
17.
Lehman, A.F., Slaughter, J.C. & Myers, C.P. ( 1991) The quality of life of chronically mentally ill persons in alternative residential settings. Psychiatry Quarterly , 62, 35-49.
18.
Lehman, A.F., Possidente, S. & Hawker, F. ( 1986) The quality of life of chronic patients in a state hospital and in community residences. Hospital Community of Psychiatry , 37, 901-907.
19.
Lehman, A.F., Ward, N.C. & Linn, L.S. ( 1982) Chronic mental patients. The quality of life issue. American Journal of Psychology, 139(10), 1271-1276.
20.
Lehman, A.F. ( 1983) The well-being of chronic mental patients: Assessing their quality of life. Archives of General Psychiatry, 40(4), 369.
21.
Liu, B. ( 1976) Quality of life Indicators in US Metropolitan Areas: A Statistical Analysis. New York: Praeger.
22.
Mercier, C., Renaud, C., Desbiens, F. & Gervais, S. ( 1990) The Contribution of services to the Quality of Life of Psychiatric Patients in the Community. Ottawa: Health and Welfare Canada.
23.
Mitrosili, M. ( 1995) Study on the Social and Legal Status of the Patients in the State Mental Hospital of Leros. Brussels: European Commission.
24.
O’Driscoll, C., Wills, W., Leff, J. & Margolius, O. ( 1993) The TAPS Project. 10: The long-stay populations of Friern an Claybury Hospitals. British Journal of Psychiatry, 162 (Suppl. 19), 30-35.
25.
Oliver, J., Huxley, P., Bridges, K. & Mohamad, H. ( 1996) Quality of Life and Mental Health Services. London: Routledge.
26.
Overall, J. & Gorham, D. ( 1962) The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Psychological Reports, 10, 799-812.
27.
Ruggeri, M., Bisoffi, G., Fontecedro, L. & Warner, R. ( 2001) Subjective and objective dimensions of quality of life in psychiatric patients: A factor analytical approach: The South Verona Outcome Project 4. British Journal of Psychiatry, 178, 268-275.
28.
Ruggeri, M., Nose, M., Bonetto, C., Cristofalo, D., Lasalvia, G., Salvi, G., Stefani, B., Malchiodi, F. & Tansella, M. ( 2005) Changes and predictors of change in objective and subjective quality of life: Multiwave follow-up study in community psychiatric practice . The British Journal of Psychiatry, 187(2), 121-130.
29.
Schrank, B. & Slade M. ( 2007) Recovery in psychiatry. Psychiatry Bulletin , 31(9), 321-332.
30.
Sullivan, G., Weels, K. & Leake, B. ( 1991) Quality of life of seriously mentally ill persons in Mississippi . Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 42, 752-754.
31.
Torrance, G.W. ( 1987) Utility approach to measuring health-related quality of life. Journal of Chronic Diseases, 40(6), 593-600.
32.
World Health Organization (1993) WHOQOL: Study Protocol: Division of Mental Health. Geneva : World Health Organization.
33.
Zissi, A. & Barry, M. ( 1997) From Leros asylum to community-based facilities: Levels of functioning and quality of life among hostel residents in Greece. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 43, 104-115.
