Questions: The effectiveness of outpatient after-care has been widely researched. This publication now deals with the questions as to which patients make use of outpatient psychosomatic after-care and how they can be characterized compared to non-participants. Moreover, this article presents the results of a prognosis model that has been tested with the aim of predicting which insured will participate in outpatient after-care. Non-participants have been interviewed and their reasons for non-participation have been analyzed.
Results: The total number of participants in after-care was N = 68 (36.4 %) of 187 insured. They were more depressed than non-participants, both at the beginning and at the end of in-patient treatment, and on average stayed a week longer in in-patient therapy. Fewer of them had partners and more of them had been given psychotherapeutical recommendations for after-care. Non-participants were unable to work for longer periods in the year previous to hospitalization and were much more dissatisfied with in-patient rehabilitation. In the subsequent interviews the non-participants stated that they would have preferred to meet their psychotherapists for individual sessions and to live in a good social environment.
Discussion: The results of this study show that the participants of outpatient psychosomatic after-care are more restricted in their activity and participation than the control group. At the same time the reasons not to participate and the request for individual psychotherapy are discussed on the basis of the aims of pension insurance and the general acceptance of group psychotherapy.