Treatment compliance and hostility levels of head-injured psychiatric outpatients.

ABSTRACT

Twenty-eight head-injured psychiatrically ill patients were compared in terms of compliance with psychiatric treatment and hostility levels to a matched control group of 28 non-head-injured psychiatrically ill patients attending a community mental health clinic. Results indicated that the two groups did not differ in treatment compliance. However, the head-injured group had significantly less rapport with their therapists. Hostility measures revealed that male head-injured patients scored significantly higher on the assaultive scale; and the severity of the head injury correlated positively with levels of hostility and with reported problems at school.