Gender impact on the outcome of rehabilitation programs in psychiatry: Brief report from a metropolitan residential rehabilitative service

Rita Cafaro; Chiara Ada Maria Rosti; Lucia Cerolini; Alberto Varinelli; Socrates Charitos; Roberta Magnotti; Beatrice Benatti; Bernardo Dell'Osso; Caterina A Viganò

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1145940

Gender impact on the outcome of rehabilitation programs in psychiatry: Brief report from a metropolitan residential rehabilitative service

Front Psychiatry. 2023 Mar 30:14:1145940. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1145940. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Rita Cafaro^{1

2}, Chiara Ada Maria Rosti¹, Lucia Cerolini^{1

2}, Alberto Varinelli², Socrates Charitos^{1

2}, Roberta Magnotti², Beatrice Benatti^{1

2}, Bernardo Dell'Osso^{1

2

3

4}, Caterina A Viganò^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences "Luigi Sacco", University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
² Department of Mental Health and Addiction, ASST Fatebenefratelli-Sacco, Milan, Italy.
³ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States.
⁴ Department of Health Sciences, "Aldo Ravelli" Center for Neurotechnology and Brain Therapeutic, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.

Abstract

Background: Differences based on gender in the presentation and outcome of many psychiatric conditions have been highlighted in the past years. Moreover, women are often underrepresented in research samples, thus leading to a poorer understanding and addressing of their needs. As regards psychiatric rehabilitation, few studies have focused on the influence of gender on the outcomes of rehabilitation programs.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the impact of gender on socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as on main rehabilitation outcomes, in a sample of subjects undergoing rehabilitation programs in a metropolitan residential service.

Methods: We collected socio-demographic, clinical variables and rehabilitation outcomes of all subjects discharged from the metropolitan residential rehabilitative service of the Luigi Sacco Hospital in Milan, Italy, from January 2015 to December 2021. Gender differences were analyzed through t-test and chi-square for continuous and categorical variables, respectively.

Results: In a total sample of 129 subjects equally distributed for gender (50.4% women), all subjects improved after their rehabilitation program, as measured through specific psychometric scales. However, women had a higher proportion of discharges to their own household (52.3% vs. 25% of men). They also showed higher educational status (53.8% completed high school vs. 31.3% of men). Clinically, they showed longer duration of untreated illness (3.6 ± 7.31 vs. 1.06 ± 2.35 years) and lower frequency of substance use disorders compared to men (6.4% vs. 35.9%).

Conclusion: The main result of this study shows, in light of an equal improvement in psychopathological and psychosocial functioning after the rehabilitation program, better outcomes in women compared to men, with a higher frequency of return to their own household after the completion of a rehabilitation program compared to men.

Keywords: gender impact; psychiatric rehabilitation; rehabilitation outcomes; rehabilitation programs; women.