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Patients' Language Proficiency and Inpatient Depression Treatment in Baden-Württemberg (South Germany)

The authors are affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Centre, Hauptstrasse 5, Freiburg 79104, Germany (e-mail: isaac.bermejo{at}uniklinik-freiburg.de).

OBJECTIVE: This study analyzed whether quality of inpatient depression treatment was dependent on German language proficiency. METHODS: Native German speakers and nonnative speakers with good or limited German proficiency (67 per group) hospitalized for depression in 24 psychiatric hospitals in Baden-Württemberg were matched by age, gender, and education. RESULTS: Germans received more group psychotherapy than the other two groups (p=.003). No differences were found in regard to pharmacotherapy. Those with limited German proficiency were discharged an average of 18 days earlier than native German speakers and six days earlier than those with good proficiency (p=.02). Twice as many nonnative patients with good proficiency and nearly four times as many patients with limited proficiency were discharged with lingering depressive symptoms (p=.006). CONCLUSIONS: Results confirmed the significance of linguistic factors for the effectiveness of treatment of patients with depression and showed a direct impact of linguistic factors on length of hospitalization.

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