The social network can be an important pathogenic, pathoplastic, or protective factor in the development and course of mental and somatic illnesses. "Social network" describes a complex construct which has been understood, defined, and operationalized in many different ways. In research and clinical practice it is advisable to refer to scientifically elaborated instruments when measuring or evaluating the social network of patients. In this paper a review is given on available instruments for the measurement of the social network. They are discussed in respect to their clinical usefulness. Only few measures can be recommended for clinical practice because of the time needed to get the information or because of their content.
The literature review shows that the ecological milieu is an important part of the therapeutic milieu and should get more attention in science and practice. The housing milieu questionnaire allows to describe ecological aspects of the therapeutic milieu. Differences between home and hospital argue for the sensitivity of the scale. The questionnaire can be used to analyze the quality of ecological aspects of the therapeutic milieu.
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