Efficacy of Peer-Led Education in Improving Mental Health Recovery Outcomes in Tennessee
Overview
- Phase
- N/A
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Mental Disorders
- Sponsor
- University of Illinois at Chicago
- Enrollment
- 428
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Recovery From Mental Illness
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- 6 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
This randomized controlled trial tests the efficacy of a mental health peer-led educational intervention called BRIDGES (Building Recovery of Individual Dreams and Goals through Education and Support). The BRIDGES program is a 10-week, manualized education course designed to provide basic information about the etiology and treatment of mental illness, self-help skills, and recovery principles in order to empower participants to return to valued social roles within their communities. BRIDGES is a peer-led program and all instructors are adults with mental illnesses. For study purposes, the 10-week course was modified to 8-weeks, meeting 2 1/2 hours once a week.
Hypothesis #1: Compared to wait-list controls, intervention participants will report increased feelings of psychological empowerment.
Hypothesis #2: Compared to wait-list controls, intervention participants will report increased feelings of hopefulness.
Hypothesis #3: Compared to wait-list controls, intervention participants will report enhanced coping ability.
Hypothesis #4: Compared to wait-list controls, intervention participants will report enhanced recovery.
Hypothesis #5: Compared to wait-list controls, intervention participants will report greater ability to advocate for themselves with health care providers.
Hypothesis #6: Compared to wait-list controls, those in the BRIDGES education course will report increased knowledge of the causes and treatment of mental illness and recovery principles.
Detailed Description
Eligibility criteria included having a diagnosis of serious mental illness and experiencing severe functional impairment in one or more life roles. All study participants completed telephone interviews at three points in time: study entry (pre-intervention); 8-weeks later (immediate post-intervention); and 6-months after intervention (approximately 8 months after study entry). Blinded interviewers administered valid and reliable outcome assessments that measured changes in subjects' knowledge about mental illness; emotional well-being; empowerment; hopefulness; self-advocacy; and recovery. All study participants were compensated for their time at each interview. All BRIDGES instructors were people in recovery from serious mental illnesses who were certified and experienced BRIDGES teachers. Fidelity to the BRIDGES curriculum was assessed on an ongoing basis throughout the study.
Investigators
Judith A. Cook
Professor of Psychiatry
University of Illinois at Chicago
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •Clinical diagnosis of mental illness
- •Disability due to mental illness
- •Age 18 years or older
- •Willingness to receive the intervention
Exclusion Criteria
- •Inability to understand spoken English
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Recovery From Mental Illness
Time Frame: Study entry (Pre-intervention/T1), 8-weeks later (Post-Intervention 1/T2), & 6-months after T2 (Post-Intervention 2/T3)
Recovery from mental illness is measured by the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS) (Giffort et al., 1995). Recovery is a psychosocial outcome assessed via patient self-ratings on a 41-item scale using a 5-point Likert-response format ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree." The minimum value for the RAS is 41 and the maximum is 205, with higher scores indicating a better outcome. Dimensions of recovery include personal confidence and hope, willingness to ask for help, goal and success orientation, reliance on others, and no being dominated by one's residual psychiatric symptoms.
Personal Empowerment
Time Frame: Study entry (Pre-intervention/T1), 8-weeks later (Post-Intervention 1/T2), & 6-months after T2 (Post-Intervention 2/T3)
Personal psychological empowerment is measured via the Boston University Empowerment Scale (Rogers et al.,1997). This 28-item instrument designed to measure subjective feelings of empowerment via self-report in which respondents answer questions on a four-point scale ranging from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. The minimum score is 28 and the maximum is 112, with higher scores indicating a better outcome.
Secondary Outcomes
- Hopefulness(Study entry (Pre-intervention/T1), 8-weeks later (Post-Intervention 1/T2), & 6-months after T2 (Post-Intervention 2/T3))
- Coping Style(Study entry (Pre-intervention/T1), 8-weeks later (Post-Intervention 1/T2), & 6-months after T2 (Post-Intervention 2/T3))
- Patient Self-advocacy(Study entry (Pre-intervention/T1), 8-weeks later (Post-Intervention 1/T2), & 6-months after T2 (Post-Intervention 2/T3))