title: Functional recovery of consumers discharged from mental hospital and participating in a community-based psychosocial programme provided by a non-governmental organisation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the 1-year functional recovery rate and identify factors predicting functional recovery of consumers in the Hong Kong context.
  
  
  METHODS
  By adopting a prospective longitudinal follow-up research design, a cohort of Chinese people discharged from the mental hospital and participating in a community-based psychosocial programme provided by a non-governmental organisation were followed up for 1 year. These individuals were assessed on their social functioning, psychiatric symptoms, self-efficacy, and quality of life using standardised assessment scales at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months of follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 87 participants, about one quarter (23.0%, n = 20) achieved functional recovery and about three quarters (79.3%, n = 69) achieved symptom remission at 12 months of follow-up. Also, the group showing functional recovery achieved better quality of life than those not showing recovery. Logistic regression analysis indicated that current functioning, current psychiatric symptoms, and achieving open employment at 12 months were significant predictors of functional recovery. These 3 predicting factors altogether accounted for half (54.4%) of the variance of functional recovery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is more difficult to achieve functional recovery than symptom remission for consumers. Helping consumers to improve social skills, achieve open employment, and reduce psychiatric symptoms is recommended as important elements in facilitating functional recovery in the local context.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Work, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Work, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Work, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pan
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D020127:Recovery of Function; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012917:Social Adjustment; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: China / ethnology; Mental disorders; Recovery of function