Validity of hospital admission as an outcome measure of services for first-episode psychosis.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to assess the external validity of hospitalization as an outcome measure for first-episode psychosis services. METHODS A two-year, prospective cohort design was used to examine the associations between hospitalization, general psychopathology, and quality of life in a cohort of 606 participants treated for a first episode of psychosis. RESULTS In bivariate analyses, general psychopathology and quality of life were each significantly associated with hospitalization at both time points. After analyses controlled for all covariates in the logistic models, both clinical measures continued to be significantly correlated with hospitalization at both one and two years. CONCLUSIONS These results validate hospitalization as an outcome measure for first-episode psychosis services, and they extend the existing research showing a relationship between hospitalization and process measures to include other valid and reliable clinical measures.