Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

Faculty/School

Faculty of Science

First Advisor

Geoffrey Nelson

Advisor Role

Thesis Supervisor

Abstract

The present research examined whether quality of housing and quality/quantity of social support were related to long-term psychiatric clients’ perceptions of psychological well-being. The participants were 89 persons between the ages of 18 to 65, who had been hospitalized for psychiatric problems at least twice and who had been diagnosed as schizophrenic, chronic depressive, or manic-depressive. A structured interview schedule was used which incorporated measures of each of the variables. Results indicated that quality of housing was inversely correlated with Negative Affect, but unrelated to Positive Affect. Support satisfaction was negatively correlated with Negative Affect, and frequency of support was positively correlated with Positive Affect. Interactions between the housing variable and Network Size were found for both Positive Affect and Negative Affect, thus supporting the stress-buffering hypothesis. The implications of this study are that both quality of housing and quality/quantity of social support are important variables in long-term psychiatric clients’ psychological adaptation after hospitalization.

Convocation Year

1986

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