The patients were 96 consecutive patients admitted to the inpatient psychiatric clinic of Sant'Andrea Hospital between January 2009 and December 2010. All patients completed the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego (TEMPS-A) and the Beck Hopelessness Scale on admission. They were contacted on average 14 months after discharge and were asked to complete a telephone interview based on the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS).
Two patients committed suicide before the follow-up assessment. Around 77 % of the patients who completed the follow-up assessment were diagnosed as BD, and around 47 % reported severe hopelessness. In the multivariate analyses, a factor derived from hopelessness and hyperthymia scores and unemployment, independently predicted severity of the illness and psychosocial functioning at the follow-up.
Screening for the affective temperament profile and for hopelessness has importance for designing the treatment and rehabilitation plans of affective disorder patients, as these variables are involved in the course and outcome of affective disorder patients and influence their health and social functioning.