[German language skills among foreign psychiatric patients: influence on voluntariness and duration of hospital treatment].

OBJECTIVE

According to the increasing number of foreign psychiatric patients in the German society, the influence of their linguistic integration on treatment characteristics is to be investigated.

METHODS

With criteria of nationality and German language skills, data of 6151 in-patients was collected and statistically analysed according to the objective.

RESULTS

With statistically significant evidence we found a shorter average duration of hospital treatment in the group of linguistically badly integrated patients. In this group, involuntary hospital admission was significantly more frequent and release from hospital after regular end of treatment was significantly rarer.

CONCLUSIONS

Linguistic communication problems may influence the cooperation and motivation in an ineffective way, which underlines the importance of supporting linguistic integration.