A Follow-up Study of Clients Discharged From a Day Hospital Aftercare Program

Sixty-one former clients of a day hospital aftercare program were assessed for level of social and individual functioning. They were found to be more like psychiatric patients than like the normal population. Marital status and type of residential arrangement were the only demographic variables that could be correlated with level of functioning. Married clients functioned better than those who were not married, and boarding-home residents were significantly more impaired than those in other living situations. Although the data did not permit conclusions about the effectiveness of the aftercare program, they suggested the need for improved conditions in boarding homes.