Psychiatric foster care for adult patients: results of a study in The Netherlands.

Since the 1920s psychiatric foster care has been considered as an important alternative to psychiatric hospitalization in the Netherlands. About one percent of the mental hospital patients are actually living with contracted families. These patients have their meals with their foster families, and stay there at night and at the weekends. Foster families can obtain support from hospital staff. Day-programmes, treatment and work rehabilitation, however, are usually undertaken in the grounds of the mental hospital. Some data will be presented on the characteristics, skills, social integration and consumer satisfaction of all 188 patients staying with 162 foster families. A comparison is made with a random-sample of hospital inpatients (N = 381), patients in sheltered homes (N = 179) and in day-centres (N = 86).