"A scale of affective expression was constructed and used in rating 486 hospitalized patients through study of their case histories." A "highly significant" relationship was discovered between affective expression and status after discharge ("tendency to improve"). Comparison of improved and unimproved groups of patients on 8 other variables showed no significant relationship. When a single variable, diagnosis, was controlled, the relationship between affective expression and status after discharge was lowered, and nonsignificant. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)