Abstract
Objective: Characteristics of individual mental health providers and of treatment settings were examined to determine their effects on providers' expectations about the improvement of patients with serious mental illness. Methods: The sample consisted of 1,567 treatment providers working in 107 inpatient and outpatient units or programs in 29 Veterans Affairs mental health facilities. They completed a questionnaire about their prognostic expectations and a broad range of attitudes toward job satisfaction, professional relations, and team functioning. Unit or program directors of all 107 units completed another questionnaire about the average functional ability of patients, unit workload, and unit size. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to assess the effects of both individual and unit-level attributes on providers' expectations of improvement in clinical symptomatology and social-functional skills of patients in their care. Results: The providers had generally low expectations about the improvement of patients with serious mental illness. Expectations were higher among staff in units or programs that were smaller and that had an outpatient focus, a greater proportion of staff involved in the treatment team, and higher- functioning patients. Individual characteristics significantly associated with prognostic expectations were occupation, age, and membership on the treatment team. Conclusions: Prognostic expectations among providers of care to persons with serious mental illness vary with identifiable individual and unit or program characteristics. The latter may be amenable to manipulation and intervention to improve mental health providers' prognostic expectations.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 671-677 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Psychiatric Services |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| State | Published - May 1997 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Health(social science)
- Health Professions(all)
Cite this
Determinants of mental health providers' expectations of patients' improvement. / Alexander, Jeffrey A.; Lichtenstein, Richard; D'Aunno, Thomas; McCormick, Richard; Muramatsu, Naoko; Ullman, Esther.
In: Psychiatric Services, Vol. 48, No. 5, 05.1997, p. 671-677.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Determinants of mental health providers' expectations of patients' improvement
AU - Alexander, Jeffrey A.
AU - Lichtenstein, Richard
AU - D'Aunno, Thomas
AU - McCormick, Richard
AU - Muramatsu, Naoko
AU - Ullman, Esther
PY - 1997/5
Y1 - 1997/5
N2 - Objective: Characteristics of individual mental health providers and of treatment settings were examined to determine their effects on providers' expectations about the improvement of patients with serious mental illness. Methods: The sample consisted of 1,567 treatment providers working in 107 inpatient and outpatient units or programs in 29 Veterans Affairs mental health facilities. They completed a questionnaire about their prognostic expectations and a broad range of attitudes toward job satisfaction, professional relations, and team functioning. Unit or program directors of all 107 units completed another questionnaire about the average functional ability of patients, unit workload, and unit size. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to assess the effects of both individual and unit-level attributes on providers' expectations of improvement in clinical symptomatology and social-functional skills of patients in their care. Results: The providers had generally low expectations about the improvement of patients with serious mental illness. Expectations were higher among staff in units or programs that were smaller and that had an outpatient focus, a greater proportion of staff involved in the treatment team, and higher- functioning patients. Individual characteristics significantly associated with prognostic expectations were occupation, age, and membership on the treatment team. Conclusions: Prognostic expectations among providers of care to persons with serious mental illness vary with identifiable individual and unit or program characteristics. The latter may be amenable to manipulation and intervention to improve mental health providers' prognostic expectations.
AB - Objective: Characteristics of individual mental health providers and of treatment settings were examined to determine their effects on providers' expectations about the improvement of patients with serious mental illness. Methods: The sample consisted of 1,567 treatment providers working in 107 inpatient and outpatient units or programs in 29 Veterans Affairs mental health facilities. They completed a questionnaire about their prognostic expectations and a broad range of attitudes toward job satisfaction, professional relations, and team functioning. Unit or program directors of all 107 units completed another questionnaire about the average functional ability of patients, unit workload, and unit size. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to assess the effects of both individual and unit-level attributes on providers' expectations of improvement in clinical symptomatology and social-functional skills of patients in their care. Results: The providers had generally low expectations about the improvement of patients with serious mental illness. Expectations were higher among staff in units or programs that were smaller and that had an outpatient focus, a greater proportion of staff involved in the treatment team, and higher- functioning patients. Individual characteristics significantly associated with prognostic expectations were occupation, age, and membership on the treatment team. Conclusions: Prognostic expectations among providers of care to persons with serious mental illness vary with identifiable individual and unit or program characteristics. The latter may be amenable to manipulation and intervention to improve mental health providers' prognostic expectations.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0030952527&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
C2 - 9144822
AN - SCOPUS:0030952527
VL - 48
SP - 671
EP - 677
JO - Psychiatric Services
JF - Psychiatric Services
SN - 1075-2730
IS - 5
ER -