Subjective quality of life in relation to psychiatric rehabilitation and daily life

Due to the great variation in approaches to psychiatric rehabilitation, the literature does not provide a uniform description of these methods. In this review, outcomes in terms of subjective quality of life are discussed in relation to vocational training, activity-based rehabilitation, case management, and social skills training. Relationships between aspects of daily life and subjective quality of life are also illuminated. In all the rehabilitation approaches studied, clients have shown an improved quality of life during the rehabilitation period, but no more than the respective comparison group receiving some other form of intervention. Concerning daily life, having employment, being engaged in and satisfied with daily activities, having a supportive social network, and living in the community have consistently been shown to be related to a better quality of life. The reasons why subjective quality of life has not been shown to improve to any substantial degree as a result of psychiatric rehabilitation are probably manifold, and research so far has left many questions unanswered. More, well-designed studies, including multi-methodological approaches and long follow-up periods, are needed to elucidate how subjective quality of life is affected by various rehabilitation strategies