Change over time in the community: findings of a longitudinal study.

The findings of this study indicated that: a) the aspects of community functioning included in this study were relatively stable over a two-year period; b) when change did occur, it tended to be toward the end of the two-year period; c) ability level (basic skills) was related to community functioning more consistently than age, gender, or the environmental variables included in these analyses; d) relationships with ability were more frequent following approximately 10 months in the community than prior to that time; and e) there is a possibility that the time period around 10 months after entry into the community is a particularly difficult time and warrants further investigation.