Treatment expectancy among psychiatric inpatients.

Treatment expectation (TE) is an important variable in treatment outcome. This study addressed two issues: The relationship of TE to treatment outcome and an identification of background and treatment variables most related to TE. As part of a cooperative study at 18 Veterans Administration Medical Centers on 79 general psychiatric wards, psychiatric inpatients were given the Veterans Adjustment Scale (VETS), and a significant other was mailed a Personal Adjustment and Role Skills Scale (PARS) at admission and 3 months after discharge. A Treatment Expectation measure was obtained from the VETS Scale at admission. Background and treatment factors also were obtained. Selected analyses controlled for the effects of patient input characteristics allowing for better outcome measures. Analyses also were cross validated. Results show that TE is related to treatment outcome and that a coterie of background and treatment variables are related to TE. Three factors especially influence TE-age, high vigor, and less alienation.