Does Sense of Control Predict Depression Among Individuals After Psychiatric Hospital Discharge?

Sense of control is known to be related to depression. Yet, few studies have examined the role of sense of control as related to depression for discharged psychiatric patients. In this study the longitudinal relationship between sense of control and depressive mood was examined using the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study, a 6-wave, 1-year study of 948 ethnically diverse postdischarge psychiatric patients. Sense of control was decomposed into 2 components (i.e., a time-invariant as well as a time-varying component) and so as to examine which component of sense of control would more accurately explain this relationship. Results demonstrated that time-varying sense of control significantly predicted changes in depressive mood during the transition to community environment. Time-invariant sense of control, however, was not significantly related to changes in depressive mood. Findings of this study hold important implications for intervention practice with people before or after psychiatric discharge, including the need for incorporation of therapeutic and psychoeducational efforts that bolster sense of control.