Hospital utilization and personality characteristics of veterans with psychiatric problems.
OBJECTIVE
The relationship between hospital utilization and psychometric, demographic, and diagnostic data was examined among veterans with psychiatric problems.


METHODS
Data were obtained from the records of 500 psychiatric inpatients admitted to a Veterans Affairs medical center between 1984 and 1987 and followed for four years. All patients completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, the California Personality Inventory, the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory, and the Psychological Inventory of Personality and Symptoms. Stepwise linear regression analysis was used to predict the number and length of inpatient stays, and Cox and logistic regression analyses predicted rehospitalization.


RESULTS
Higher rates of psychiatric hospital utilization were found among patients who were unmarried, who had disabilities connected with their military service, who had lower levels of adaptive functioning, and who were diagnosed as having posttraumatic stress disorder, drug or alcohol use disorder, or passive-aggressive or antisocial personality disorder. Higher utilization was also found among those whom psychometric data characterized as less responsible and more compulsive. The data also predicted the length of subsequent medical hospitalization and identified patients who stayed out of the hospital longer and who were not rehospitalized.


CONCLUSIONS
Hospital utilization was found to be a function of psychiatric diagnosis, marital status, and various personality factors. Factors relating to social disadvantage also played a role. Axis I diagnoses, particularly substance use disorders, were as important as, if not more important than, axis II diagnoses in predicting utilization.
Williams
W
W
Veterans Affairs Medical Center of Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
Weiss
T W
TW
Edens
A
A
Johnson
M
M
Thornby
J I
JI
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011379:Prognosis; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D012307:Risk Factors; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D014600:Utilization Review; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data