title: [German language skills among foreign psychiatric patients: influence on voluntariness and duration of hospital treatment].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  According to the increasing number of foreign psychiatric patients in the German society, the influence of their linguistic integration on treatment characteristics is to be investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  With criteria of nationality and German language skills, data of 6151 in-patients was collected and statistically analysed according to the objective.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With statistically significant evidence we found a shorter average duration of hospital treatment in the group of linguistically badly integrated patients. In this group, involuntary hospital admission was significantly more frequent and release from hospital after regular end of treatment was significantly rarer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Linguistic communication problems may influence the cooperation and motivation in an ineffective way, which underlines the importance of supporting linguistic integration.
authors.affiliation: Bezirkskrankenhaus Augsburg. t.messer@bkh-augsburg.de
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Künzler
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garcia-Brand
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmauss
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Messer
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005858:Germany; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D019303:Multilingualism; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology*; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000208:ethnology