Abstract
114 male and female patients were assigned on the basis of length of hospitalization and given measures of introversion-extraversion, social desirability, and anxiety in order to compare the personality characteristics shown by patients having various durations of hospitalization. Need for social approval increased with increased length of hospitalization. Anxiety diminished with increase in duration of hospitalization while no significant difference was noted on the basis of introversion-extraversion. The implication of these results was discussed in terms of effect of long-term hospitalization upon the patients personality, with the caution that the variable of length of stay may be confounded with degree of illness.
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