title: Social ethology of acute psychiatric patients. The influence of sex, hospital environment, and spatial proximity.
abstract: Naturalistic observations were used to monitor overt behavior in acutely ill psychiatric patients during hospitalization. Patients were observed on an individual basis in three different hospital locales: the inpatient wards, and the occupational and recreational therapy areas. The analysis was designed to determine which behaviors varied across locations as a function of the distance separating subjects and their nearest neighbors. Sex-related differences in behavior were also examined. Results showed: a) a modal distance of 1.0 to 1.5 meters separating individuals in all three locations; b) closer interpersonal distances between individuals in occupational therapy; c) significant differences in the frequency of selected behaviors in different functional areas; and d) closer interpersonal distances for females and a higher incidence of affiliative behavior by females toward males at close distances. Results are discussed in terms of environmental influences on behavioral responsiveness and sex differences in sociospatial behavior.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004777:Environment; D005010:Ethology; D005260:Female; D006757:Hospital Units; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D012919:Social Behavior; D013037:Spatial Behavior