Gender differences in the receipt of aftercare and psychiatric hospitalization among adults with severe mental illness

Abstract

Gender differences in receiving aftercare and being hospitalized for persons with severe mental illness were examined. For women, unique predictors for receiving aftercare were primarily treatment system responsiveness variables. For men, unique predictors of aftercare were from all categories and included being accompanied to the psychiatric emergency room (PER) by family or friends and having previous psychiatric admissions. More recent outpatient treatment and a greater number of previous admissions predicted hospitalization for both men and women. Receiving less intense aftercare predicted hospitalization for women but not men. Unique predictors of hospitalization for men were a higher level of education and a psychotic disorder diagnosis.