Background: This study examines the psychosocial outcomes of women discharged from the Vlore Psychiatric Hospital in Albania.
Methods: The study was designed as a controlled, not randomized, follow-up study. It included 16 women diagnosed with psychosis who were discharged from a psychiatric hospital to live in group homes in the community. The control group included 20 women diagnosed with psychosis who lived at the psychiatric hospital while awaiting discharge. All subjects were assessed twice using the HoNOS-Rome tool, at the start of the study (T0) and 12 months later (T1).
Results: Both groups showed an improvement in the HoNOS total score between T0 and T1 (p < .001). This improvement was significantly larger in the Home group compared to the Hospital group (p = .014). An item-level analysis indicated a significantly greater improvement in the Home group on items 11 (autonomy), 12 (work), 16 (family) and 18 (goals).
Conclusions: Projects for social inclusion of people suffering from psychosis must design living spaces that offer viable alternatives to psychiatric hospitals. This study also documents the efforts in the Vlore region of Albania to follow European standards of mental health care.
Keywords: Albania; Deinstitutionalization; psychosocial outcomes; rehabilitation; social inclusion.