[Establishing a team-scoring model for socio-emotional development of patients with intellectual disabilities]

Psychiatr Prax. 2015 Jan;42(1):35-41. doi: 10.1055/s-0033-1349565. Epub 2013 Oct 2.
[Article in German]

Abstract

Objectives: We know from daily experience in the care of people with intellectual disabilities that the usually applied bio-psycho-social model is not sufficient in the psychiatric treatment of that patient-group. A fourth dimension considering cognitive and socio-emotional development should be added. A specific algorithm for evaluating the emotional level of a person (called "SEO") has demonstrated its effectiveness. Aim of this study is to test its feasibility in everyday practice in a hospital team of a psychiatric ward.

Methods: The SEO was used to evaluate 18 patients with intellectual disability by a multi-professional team in a psychiatric hospital ward. The time for completing the SEO was measured within a time period of 8 weeks. Additionally, the influence on patients' problem behaviour in the time period after completion of the SEO was measured.

Results: The average time needed for completing one SEO was 11 minutes. After the second week, there was no further shortening of the time necessary for completion of the SEO, nor was their any further improvement in the quality of scoring the SEO by the team. After completion of the SEO, behavioral problems of the patients improved significantly in the following time period.

Conclusion: The SEO seems to be time-economic and feasible for evaluating the socio-emotional development, which can be well integrated in the routine of a psychiatric hospital team. The benefit for patients is the significant reduction of problem behaviour after SEO-evaluation in general.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Algorithms*
  • Comorbidity
  • Emotional Adjustment*
  • Female
  • Germany
  • Humans
  • Intellectual Disability / classification
  • Intellectual Disability / diagnosis
  • Intellectual Disability / psychology*
  • Intellectual Disability / therapy*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Outcome Assessment, Health Care*
  • Patient Care Team*
  • Psychiatric Department, Hospital
  • Research Design
  • Social Adjustment*
  • Social Behavior Disorders / classification
  • Social Behavior Disorders / diagnosis
  • Social Behavior Disorders / psychology
  • Social Behavior Disorders / therapy
  • Young Adult