Experiences of care perceived by users of supported accommodations for people with serious mental disorders: Can they impact quality of life?

Abstract

To understand if supported accommodations (SA) are promoting the recovery of people with serious mental disorders, quality of life (QoL) is an important outcome. This study aimed to analyse the association between QoL and experiences of care in general and to identify specific experiences of care that are associated with QoL in users of SA. A random sample of users of 42 SA was interviewed to obtain standardized measures of QoL and personal experiences of care. The sample was also characterized according to sociodemographic and clinical aspects. Linear regressions models analysed the association between QoL and experiences of care, adjusting for potential confounders. Results include estimated regression coefficients, corresponding 95% confidence intervals and p-values. The number of users interviewed was 272. The median QoL was 4.9 (2.3-6.8) out of 7. Although 84.9% of users were satisfied with the care received, only 16.2% felt involved in their treatment. Feeling safe (β = .73; 95% CI [0.22-1.24], p = .006) and having privacy (β = .42; 95% CI [0.09-0.75], p = .014) influenced QoL. Involvement in care (β = .44; 95% CI [0.13-0.74], p = .006), safety and privacy (β = .72; 95% CI [0.44-0.99], p = 8.38e-07) and user-professional relationship (β = .42; 95% CI [0.14-0.69], p = .003) were also associated with QoL. Feeling safe, having privacy, feeling involved in care and having good user-professional relationships influence the QoL of users. These findings have implications from the political and economic level to the organizational and individual levels.