title: Patient opinions on the helpfulness of external rehabilitative activities in residential psychiatric care: a pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study explores the patient opinions about the helpfulness of the External Rehabilitative Activities (ERA) delivered in two residential facilities for psychiatric rehabilitation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We administered a Questionnaire developed to assess general helpfulness, helpfulness of specific therapeutic processes and satisfaction with the ERA to a sample of 46 psychiatric patients participating in at least three external activities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The External Rehabilitative Activities, tested by the ERA-Questionnaire, were considered helpful or very helpful by most of the patients. The therapeutic process with the highest score was "relaxation", followed by "general helpfulness", "socialization", "knowledge of social context", "community integration". The least-valued process was "autonomy".
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This pilot study has shown that psychiatric patients consider ERA helpful and rate more helpful the specific therapeutic processes, such as relaxation and socialization, that assure symptomatic relief and interaction with the outside world.
authors.affiliation: Section of Psychiatry, University of Ferrara and Department of Mental Health, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Biancosino
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marmai
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marchesini
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bertasi
authors.forename: Gino
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Targa
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bivi
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cucchi
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grassi