Effects of participation in consumer-operated service programs on both personal and organizationally mediated empowerment: Results of multisite study

Abstract

Abstract-The number of empowerment-oriented consumeroperated service programs (COSPs) in mental health has increased dramatically over the past decade; however, little empirical evidence exists about the effects of such programs on their intended outcomes. This study examined the effects of COSPs on various aspects of empowerment within the context of a multisite, federally funded, randomized clinical trial of COSPs. Results suggest that the individuals who received the consumeroperated services perceived higher levels of personal empowerment than those in the control intervention; overall, effect sizes were very modest when all sites were examined together in intent-to-treat analyses. However, we noted variations in outcomes by intensity of COSP use and also by study site, which suggest that specific programs had significant effects, while others did not. The implications of these results for the mental health field and for service providers and policy makers are discussed.

Are All Consumer-Operated Programs Empowering Self-Help Agencies?

“…In the SAMHSA multisite COSP study, OMES scores are reported among the eight sites as generally "quite low and positively skewed"; the baselinemean was just over two and the modal score was zero (Rogers et al, 2007). The SAMHSA multisite results for the OMES showed "an overall negative effect on [OMES scores] over time (F 1 , 4075 = 47.17, p < 0.001); on average, scores declined over time" (Rogers et al, 2007, p. 792).…”

“…Such site variation in participant democracy decision making may · account for the absence of a significant time x group x site interaction (F 7 , 4 075 = 1.87, p .07) in the SAMSHA multisite OMES scores. It may imply that some sites did not use their organizational context to empower their membership (Rogers et al, 2007).…”

Participatory Spaces of Mental Health Service User Organizations in the Post-deinstitutional Era: Mapping Roles and Challenges

“…Gillard et al (2016) and Janzen et al (2006) describe how concepts and perspectives, such as recovery, experiential knowledge and empowerment, are currently being adapted in traditional mental health service systems. The included texts reflect this increased integration of service user perspectives where, for instance, empowerment and recovery scales are frequently applied to measure the outcomes of services provided by MHSUOs (Brown et al 2008a;Corrigan 2006;Kaplan et al 2012;Rogers et al 2007). Rabeharisoa et al (2014) discuss how service user groups can achieve change through constructing new political and scientific understandings of their experience.…”

Toutes les organisations ne sont pas égales quant au pouvoir décisionnel de leurs pairs aidants !

“…Une étude menée par Chamberlin et al (1996) sur six programmes autogérés par des pairs aidants indique aussi que leur participation a aidé 64 % des participants à ressentir davantage de contrôle sur leur vie. De même, Rogers et al (2007) ont conclu que les programmes de services autogérés par des pairs aidants exercent un effet positif supplémentaire sur leur sentiment d'autonomisation (Rogers et al, 2007).…”