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Housing environments and community adjustment of severely mentally ill persons

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Abstract

This study examined relationships between the quality and appropriateness of housing environments and community adjustment of 729 deinstitutionalized severely mentally ill clients in a state-wide community support service program. Environmental measures included ratings of the physical condition of the client's residence, its adequacy for six key life activities, and the overall appropriateness of the residential setting for the client. Community adjustment measures included global level of functioning, degree of maladaptive behavior and client's perceived quality of life. Evidence is presented that quality and appropriateness of housing environments significantly affect aspects of client's community adjustment outcomes over a nine-month period.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, 21205, Baltimore, MD

    Frank Baker Ph.D. (Professor of Health Psychology) & Charlene Douglas R.N., M.P.H. (doctoral student in Health Psychology)

Authors
  1. Frank Baker Ph.D.
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  2. Charlene Douglas R.N., M.P.H.
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Additional information

The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of James Intagliata, david Mandell, Harry Straus, and David jodrey in the collection and analysis of the data reproted here. These data were collected as part of an evaluation of the New York State CSS program funded by a contract between the New York State Office of Mental Health and the Psychotechnical Applied Research Organization, Inc. of Buffalo, New York. Preparation of this paper has been partially supported by NIMH Grant No. MH 43703. A version of this paper was presented at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in Boston, MA on November 16, 1988.

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Baker, F., Douglas, C. Housing environments and community adjustment of severely mentally ill persons. Community Ment Health J 26, 497–505 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00752454

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