[Expectations and satisfaction in mental health center users].
BACKGROUND
The user's satisfaction with the health services is an area of increasing interest. Usually the relation between satisfaction and expectations is not taken into account. The objective [corrected] of this paper is to describe the user's expectations, before treatment, in an out patient Mental Health Center and to investigate their satisfaction with the service adjusted by these expectations.


METHODS
During six months all patients attending an outpatient mental health center of the Basque Public Health Service, are interviewed (n=315). The survey included the basic sociodemographic variables, one questionnaire of expectations and another one of clinical symptomatology (SCL-90-R). The patients were reviewed six months later by a new SCL-90-R and a questionnaire on satisfaction (CSQ-8). In order to select the factors which gathered the most important expectations, an analysis of principal components was made. A model, incluiding the best variables to explain satisfaction with the service, was adjusted by means of multiple linear regression, taking the expectations into account.


RESULTS
Expectations on psychological explorations and interventions were greater than those on biological characteristics. Three factors called <<psychological procedures>>, <<biological procedures>> and <<invasive procedures>> explained 10 % of the variance. For each increasing point in the initial SCL-90-R, the index of satisfaction decreased 0.02. For each point added to symptomatic recovery, the same index rose in 0.03.


CONCLUSIONS
Satisfaction with the service was associated with less severity in initial psychopathology, symptomatic recovery and biological expectations. The psychological expectations were associated with less satisfaction.
Retolaza
A
A
Centro de Salud Mental de Basauri, Vizcaya, Spain. basauri@smeb.osakidetza.net
Grandes
G
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D003155:Community Mental Health Centers / Q000592:standards*; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires