title: Psychological predictors of admission and discharge global assessment of functioning scale scores for geropsychiatric inpatients.
abstract: This study examined psychological predictors of Global Assessment of Functioning Scale scores (GAF) at intake and at discharge for geropsychiatric inpatients. A total of 301 predominantly male geropsychiatric inpatients were recruited from the Houston Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Path analysis was used to test a model proposing causal paths of psychological predictors (cognitive status, depression, agitation, general psychiatric status) to GAF scores on admission and discharge. At admission, all four psychological predictors had positive paths to the admission GAF scale scores but at discharge, only two (i.e., cognitive status and general psychiatric status) of the four psychological predictors had positive paths to the discharge GAF scale scores. The admission GAF scale scores also had a positive path to the discharge GAF scale scores. The overall functioning level of geropsychiatric inpatients may be predicted by measures which assess overall cognitive status and general psychiatric functioning during hospitalization. Results prompt consideration of a modified global scale specifically reflecting an older adult's activities during this period of life.
authors.affiliation: University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Whitney
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Kunik
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Molinari
authors.forename: F G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karner
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D005852:Geriatric Psychiatry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D010343:Patient Admission; D010351:Patient Discharge