Objective social outcomes index (SIX): a method to summarise objective indicators of social outcomes in mental health care.

Journal article

OBJECTIVE: No method has yet been established to summarise different objective indicators of social outcomes into one score. The study aimed to develop and test a simple, brief and meaningful index of social outcomes that can be used across a broad range of mental health studies and is potentially obtainable from routine documentation. METHOD: An index capturing employment, accommodation and living situation (range from 0 to 6; SIX) was devised and tested in three longitudinal datasets of patients with severe mental illness from Germany, Sweden and the UK. RESULTS: SIX showed an almost normal distribution cross-sectionally in all three datasets. Between 58 and 78% of patients changed scores over time. Change scores were weakly associated with change scores of symptoms, quality of life, global functioning and disability. CONCLUSION: A simple method to summarise different indicators of social outcomes provides meaningful results. It can be widely used in research and routine care.

Authors: Priebe, S; Watzke, S; Hansson, L; Burns, T

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica
• Volume: 118
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 57-63
• Publication date: 2008-07-01
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2008.01217.x
• EISSN: 1600-0447
• ISSN: 0001-690X
• Language: English
• Keywords: Personality Disorders; Psychometrics; Mood Disorders; Schizophrenic Psychology; Rehabilitation, Vocational; Schizophrenia; Reproducibility of Results; Psychotic Disorders; Germany; Humans; Quality of Life; Male; Middle Aged; Female; Mental Disorders; Great Britain; Substance-Related Disorders; Adult; Longitudinal Studies; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Anxiety Disorders; Outcome Assessment (Health Care); Social Adjustment; Case Management; Sweden