Community Adjustment of Chronic Schizophrenic Patients in Urban and Rural Settings

The influence of environmental conditions on the community adjustment of chronic schizophrenic patients who live in boarding homes and other residential facilities was studied using data from medical records and interviews with patients. Seventyeight patients living in an urban area and 46 patients living in a rural area were included in the study. Compared with rural patients, urban patients were more likely to live in substandard dwellings, to receive less practical support from the home operator, and to report more incongruence with household members and aversive neighborhood conditions. Urban patients showed significantly more psychopathology, functioned more poorly in relationships with others, and had poorer global functioning than rural patients. Except for the physical condition of patients' dwellings, all the environmental conditions measured in the study were significantly associated with some measures of community adjustment regardless of geographic setting.