title: Language proficiency among hospitalized immigrant psychiatric patients in Italy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  and aim: Lack of cultural adaptation may risk or worsen mental illness among immigrants, and interfere with assessment and treatment. Language proficiency (LP) seems essential for access to foreign environments, and the limited research concerning its effects on mental health care encouraged this preliminary study.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed clinical records of all immigrant psychiatric patients hospitalized at the University of Foggia in 2004-09 (N = 85), and compared characteristics of patients with adequate versus inadequate LP.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects (44 men, 41 women; aged 35.7±10.0 years) represented 3.62±0.94% of all hospitalizations in six years. (2004-09). Most (60.0%) had emigrated from other European countries. Many were diagnosed with a DSM-IV unspecified psychosis (40.0%) or adjustment disorder (18.8%), and 45.9% were in first-lifetime episodes. Average comprehension and spoken LP was considered adequate in 62.4% and inadequate in 37.6%. In multivariate modelling, adequate LP was more prevalent among women, emigration from another European country, receiving more psychotropic drugs at hospitalization, and having entered Italy legally.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings support an expected importance of LP among immigrant psychiatric inpatients, and encourage language assessment and training as part of the comprehensive support of such patients, especially men.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Univeristy of Foggia, Foggia, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ventriglio
authors.forename: Ross J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Baldessarini
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iuso
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: La Torre
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Onghia
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: La Salandra
authors.forename: Maristella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazza
authors.forename: Antonello
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bellomo
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000328:Adult; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005060:Europe / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007558:Italy; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D017678:Sex Distribution
keywords: Language proficiency; cultural adaptation; immigrant; mental illness