Characteristics of psychiatric programs and their effects on patients' adjustment.

Considers that measuring characteristics of psychiatric programs is an important 1st step in identifying ingredients related to treatment efficiency and effectiveness. Perception of ward (POW) scales were developed using repeated factor analyses of 1,141 male psychiatric patients' perceptions. Program dimensions identified by POW scales are evaluated. The serious problem of response variability in measuring the milieu characteristics of a ward through patient perceptions is examined. POW scores for 353 patients on 3 wards and ratings of later community adjustment revealed that staff receptivity positively affects the posthospital adjustment of certain patient subgroups. (32 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)