Recovery 4 US - A Photovoice-based Social Media Program

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study is a randomized trial evaluating Recovery 4 US, a social media program aimed at the enhancement of community participation and overall recovery of individuals with psychiatric disabilities.This innovative e-mental health program integrates Internet and mobile technologies and is designed to be a self-sustaining recovery-oriented virtual community for individuals living with a disabling mental illness based on the principles of Photovoice.

Detailed Description
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This study is a randomized trial evaluating Recovery 4 US, a social media program aimed at the enhancement of community participation and overall recovery of individuals with psychiatric disabilities.This innovative e-mental health program integrates Internet and mobile technologies and is designed to be a self-sustaining recovery-oriented virtual community for individuals living with a disabling mental illness based on the principles of Photovoice. The Recovery 4 US program which includes a mobile phone application and a password protected website, has three main components: 1) receipt of daily hope-inspiring message, paired with a corresponding visual image; 2) creation and viewing of recovery-oriented Photovoice works; and 3) opportunity to attend community events initiated by members of the Recovery 4 US community. The benefits of the Recovery 4 US program will be evaluated through a randomized trial with n=60 participants. The study will take place at the Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. Participants will be randomized to the experimental group (provided with a smartphone and access to Recovery 4 US application and website) or the control group (provided with a smartphone but without access to the Recovery 4 US app or website). We anticipate participation in the program will be associated with reduced loneliness, increased hopefulness, community participation, and overall recovery. The recruitment goal for this study was amended to n=70.

Official Title
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Recovery 4 US - A Photovoice-based Social Media Program to Enhance the Recovery and Community Participation of Individuals With Psychiatric Disabilities

Conditions
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Social Isolation, Mental Illness, Loneliness

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Recovery 4 Us


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: are 18 or older have been recipients of services at the BU CPR Recovery Center due to having a DSM-V diagnosis of mental illness, including dual diagnosis (dual diagnosis refers to co-occurring mental illness and alcohol/ substance use disorder) as indicated in their records are interested in participating in a social media program are fluent in English have a basic ability to use a mobile phone Exclusion Criteria: Inability to give full and knowing consent

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Other
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Recovery 4 US<br>This group receives a smartphone with the Recovery 4 US application and access to the application website. | Behavioral: Recovery 4 Us<br>* R4US is a social media program aimed at the enhancement of community participation and overall recovery of individuals with psychiatric disabilities.<br>* Other names: R4US;|
| No Intervention: Services as usual<br>This group receives a smartphone but no access to the Recovery 4 US application. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| UCLA Loneliness Scale | A 20-item 4-point Likert-type scale, widely used measure of loneliness and social isolation with Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranging from .89 to .94 | Change from Baseline to 3 months to 6 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Herth Hope Index | 12 item 4-point Likert type scale measuring the level of generalized hopefulness of the individual; the reported Cronbach's alpha coefficient of internal consistency of the scale is .97 | Change from Baseline to 3 months to 6 months | 
| Perceived Stress Scale | 10-item 5-point Likert-type scale self-report measure of the level of stress experienced at a given point of time. It was designed to capture how unpredictable, uncontrollable and overloaded respondents find their lives based on their capacity to cope with stress. Reported internal consistency coefficients for the scale ranged between 0.90 and 0.92 | Change from Baseline to 3 months to 6 months | 
| Multi-Dimensional Assessment of Community Participation | Consists of objective and subjective measures of community belonging, inclusion and participation | Change from Baseline to 3 months to 6 months | 
| Recovery Assessment Scale | 24-item 5-point Likert rating scale assessing the level of overall recovery among people with psychiatric disabilities. | Change from Baseline to 3 months to 6 months | 
| BASIS-R | measures: mood disturbances, anxiety, interpersonal and role functioning, daily living skills, psychotic symptoms, impulsivity and substance use on a scale from no difficulty to extreme difficulty. | Change from Baseline to 3 months to 6 months | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Mental Illness, Loneliness, Hope, Community, Social Media