Paid friends for frequent recidivists: An evaluation of a multifaceted community aide program.

Abstract

This article describes a study in which a true experimental design was used to evaluate a multifaceted community aide support system for frequently hospitalized individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Intervention techniques included psychiatric rehabilitation, attention to medication compliance, pre-identification of possible stressors and methods of coping with them, and a plan for daily physical activity. This study demonstrates a need for further controlled research to determine what components of psychosocial rehabilitation do make a difference, and the development of dependent measures more appropriate than hospitalization to use in the evaluation of psychosocial rehabilitation programs.The importance of having an appropriate social network in maintaining frequently hospitalized individuals in the community has been the subject of recent research (

Peer support among individuals with severe mental illness: a review of the evidence

“…The other unintended consequence of deinstitutionalization has been a recognition that hospitals met a range of human as well as clinical needs, and that to be effective, community-based services need to move beyond reduction of psychopathology to focus on the restoration of community life (Carling, 1995). Along with this recognition has been an increasing awareness that clients being discharged into the community need more of a bridge into supportive social networks than that provided by formal mental health treatment alone (Gartner & Riessman, 1984;Godley, Sabin, McClure, Smerken, & Manion, 1988;Skirboll & Pavelsky, 1984). With the advent of the Community Support Movement (Parrish, 1989) in the 1970s, there has been a growing realization of the need to recreate a therapeutic milieu "without udls" in the conimunity (Stein & Test, 1978).…”

Personalised support delivered by support workers for people with severe and persistent mental illness: a systematic review of patient outcomes

“…The quality of the design of each of the 11 selected studies was rated using the QATQS (Thomas, 1998). Four studies used a randomised control trial (RCT) design: two were rated as being of strong quality (Harris et al 1999; Rivera et al 2007), while one used non-validated outcome measures and was rated of moderate quality (Godley et al 1988) and another had a small sample size and limited description of participants and was rated as being of moderate quality (Reynolds et al 2004). Three used a non-randomised control design; two were rated as being of moderate quality (Mak & Gow, 1996; Tauber et al 2000); and one was rated as being of weak quality (Klein et al 1998).…”

“…Nine studies discussed the effect of personalised support on personal functioning, broadly encompassing interpersonal interactions, problem solving, quality of life and living skills (Godley et al 1988; Bradshaw & Haddock, 1998; Klein et al 1998; Clarkson et al 1999; Tauber et al 2000; Reynolds et al 2004; Rivera et al 2007; Muir et al 2010; Meehan et al 2011).…”

“…Based on published literature from the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Scandinavia, personalised support can be broken down into four discrete service types: living skills, community access, emotional support and advocacy. Living skills aim to improve the day to day functioning of patients through side by side instruction, role-modelling, corrective feedback and positive reinforcement, and include services such as personal hygiene, budgeting and shopping (Godley et al 1988; Weir & Rosen, 1989; Kleiner & Drews, 1992; Mak & Gow, 1996; Kemp, 1997; Bradshaw & Haddock, 1998; Warner et al 1998; Clarkson et al 1999; Tauber et al 2000; Huxley et al 2009; Dixon et al 2010; Meehan et al 2011). Community access includes support in the activities of recreation and leisure, such as engaging in community events, peer-based activities, recreation, music, art and physical activities (Kleiner & Drews, 1992; Mak & Gow, 1996; Kemp, 1997; Bradshaw & Haddock, 1998; Warner et al 1998; Harris et al 1999; Meehan et al 2011).…”

“…Community access includes support in the activities of recreation and leisure, such as engaging in community events, peer-based activities, recreation, music, art and physical activities (Kleiner & Drews, 1992; Mak & Gow, 1996; Kemp, 1997; Bradshaw & Haddock, 1998; Warner et al 1998; Harris et al 1999; Meehan et al 2011). Emotional support aims to assist patients in addressing acute and ongoing psychosocial stressors though activities include befriending, listening, providing practical problem solving and management of stressors (Godley et al 1988; Kleiner & Drews, 1992; Mak & Gow, 1996; Kemp, 1997; Bradshaw & Haddock, 1998; Meek, 1998; Warner et al 1998; Clarkson et al 1999; Harris et al 1999; Huxley et al 2009; Meehan et al 2011). Advocacy is speaking, acting or writing on behalf of a person to improve their welfare (Kleiner & Drews, 1992; Warner et al 1998; Clarkson et al 1999; Meehan et al 2011).…”