Follow-Up Study of Chronic Psychotic Patients "Treated" by College Case-Aid Volunteers

The nonprofessional as a psychotherapeutic agent

“…The ability of nonprofessionals to change the behavior of adult inpatients has been reported in 12 of the 13 studies that were reviewed (Anker & Walsh, 1961;Appelby, 1963;Beck, Kantor, & Gelineau, 1963;Bucktey, Muench, & Sjoberg, 1970;Carkhuff & Truax, 1965, Gelineau & Evans, 1970Greenblatt & Kantor, 1962;Hartlage, 1970;Holzberg, Knapp, & Turner, 1967;Poser, 1966;Rappaport, Chinsky, & Cowen, 1971;Sines, Silver, & Lucero, 1961;Verinis, 1970). Eight of these studies employed a control group.…”

“…If the results of the controlled studies are examined together, it is evident that nonprofessionals have been able to alter many indices of psychological dysfunction in adult inpatients, such as: overt behavior (Appelby, 1963;Carkhuff & Truax, 1965;Verinis, 1970); the results of psychological tests (Buckley, Muench, & Sjoberg, 1970;Holzberg, Knapp, & Turner, 1967;Rappaport, Chinsky, & Cowen, 1971); perceptual and motor coordination tasks (Poser, 1966;Rappaport, Chinsky, & Cowen, 1971); and discharge rate (Carkhuff & Truax, 1965). Although five studies (Anker & Walsh, 1961;Beck, Kantor, & Gelineau, 1963;Gelineau & Evans, 1970;Greenblatt &Kantor, 1962;Hartlage, 1970) did not employ a no-treatment control group, they produced additional evidence of the nonprofessional's ability to change the behavior of adult inpatients. These studies found that nonprofessionals were able to change the overt behavior of adult inpatients (Hartlage, 1970;Anker & Walsh, 1961) and the self-concept of the patients (Hartlage, 1970), as well as to increase their discharge rate (Beck, Kantor & Gelineau, 1963;Gelineau & Evans, 1970;Greenblatt & Kantor, 1962).…”

Mental health volunteers as change agents

“…Of 55 chronic patients, hospitalized at least 5 consecutive years since last admission and considered by the staff as poor candidates for release, 20% were discharged. Beck, Kantor, and Gelineau (1963), in a followup study of the patients seen in the case-aid program, reported that 37 of 120 patients (31%) were discharged from the hospital during a 7-year period, after working with students. Of these patients, 28 were in the community at the time of followup, for an average of 3.4 years after they left the hospital.…”

Effectiveness of college students in an incentive community program for chronic hospitalized patients

“…A follow-up study of patients from this program showed that 37 patients (31%) had left the hospital and that 28 patients remained out of the hospital an average of 3.4 years from the time of discharge (Beck & Gelineau, 1963). No discharge or readmission rates for untreated control groups were reported.…”