title: The Role of Family Variables in the Length of Stay of Psychiatric In-patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In Japan, the number of beds and average length of stay in a psychiatric ward are greater than in other developed countries.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study aimed to investigate the association between family variables and the length of stay of patients with mental and behavioural disorders in a private psychiatric hospital in Japan.
  
  
  METHODS
  The medical records of patients discharged during a one-year period (n=56: men 50.0% excepting 27 patients discharged due to death were re-examined regarding age, laundry type (self-washing of clothes, family washing or supplier washing), number of family visits per one month while hospitalised, and family structure prior to hospitalisation. A length of stay greater than six months was considered the cut-off point for a long hospital stay. Bivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors independently associated with the length of stay, adjusted for sex, age, and mental and/or behavioural disorders according to the criteria of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The bivariate-adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence intervals) for in-patients hospitalised for more than six months was 0.08 (0.01, 0.48) for those who used family washing (p= 0.006) compared with those who used supplier washing. The number of visits per month and family structures before hospitalisation were not significantly associated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that within a private psychiatric hospital in Japan, family washing is associated with shortened stays and frequency of family visits, while family structure is not associated with these factors.
authors.affiliation: Korenkai Minami-Toyama Nakagawa Hospital, Toyama, Japan; Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan; Department of Human Health Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoneyama
authors.affiliation: Korenkai Minami-Toyama Nakagawa Hospital, Toyama, Japan.
authors.forename: Yudo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Makita
authors.affiliation: Korenkai Minami-Toyama Nakagawa Hospital, Toyama, Japan.
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyazu
authors.affiliation: Korenkai Minami-Toyama Nakagawa Hospital, Toyama, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Katsukawa
authors.affiliation: Korenkai Minami-Toyama Nakagawa Hospital, Toyama, Japan.
authors.forename: Eiichi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yoneyama
authors.affiliation: Korenkai Minami-Toyama Nakagawa Hospital, Toyama, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.affiliation: Korenkai Minami-Toyama Nakagawa Hospital, Toyama, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
authors.affiliation: Korenkai Minami-Toyama Nakagawa Hospital, Toyama, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyazu
keywords: Discharge; Epidemiology; Family; Japan; Length of stay; Private psychiatric hospital; Social hospitalisation