Impact of aftercare services on recidivism of mental hospital patients.

The subjects in this study were 129 patients released within a 2-year period from a large state hospital to a three-county area. Patient information on demographic, inhospital, and posthospital variables and the extent of participation in an aftercare program was collected from existing records. The relationship between the community support system available to the patient and recidivism was determined. Three criteria of recidivism were used: readmission within 1 year following discharge, number of days in the community within 1 year following discharge, and number of days to first readmission. No single predictor was adequate in predicting hospital readmission. When the effects of confounding variables were eliminated using multiple-regression techniques, the amount of aftercare received was an important factor in predicting recidivism. However, current situational factors appeared to be more important predictors of recidivism than receipt of aftercare services.