Objective social outcomes index (SIX): a method to summarise objective indicators of social outcomes in mental health care.
OBJECTIVE
No method has yet been established to summarise different objective indicators of social outcomes into one score. The study aimed to develop and test a simple, brief and meaningful index of social outcomes that can be used across a broad range of mental health studies and is potentially obtainable from routine documentation.


METHODS
An index capturing employment, accommodation and living situation (range from 0 to 6; SIX) was devised and tested in three longitudinal datasets of patients with severe mental illness from Germany, Sweden and the UK.


RESULTS
SIX showed an almost normal distribution cross-sectionally in all three datasets. Between 58 and 78% of patients changed scores over time. Change scores were weakly associated with change scores of symptoms, quality of life, global functioning and disability.


CONCLUSIONS
A simple method to summarise different indicators of social outcomes provides meaningful results. It can be widely used in research and routine care.
Priebe
S
S
Unit for Social & Community Psychiatry, Barts & The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London, London, UK. s.priebe@qmul.ac.uk
Watzke
S
S
Hansson
L
L
Burns
T
T
D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D019090:Case Management; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000534:rehabilitation; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012917:Social Adjustment; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D013548:Sweden; D006113:United Kingdom