Clinical trial NCT01297985: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Mental Health Peer-Led Education
Official title: Efficacy of Peer-Led Education in Improving Mental Health Recovery Outcomes in Tennessee
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Mental Disorders
Keywords: Serious mental illness
Psychiatric disability
Mental health peer-led
Mental illness education
Illness self-management
Lead sponsor: University of Illinois at Chicago
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
First posted: 2011-02-17
Enrollment: 428
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

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.

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

Primary outcomes:
measure: Recovery From Mental Illness
timeFrame: Study entry (Pre-intervention/T1), 8-weeks later (Post-Intervention 1/T2), & 6-months after T2 (Post-Intervention 2/T3)
measure: Personal Empowerment
timeFrame: Study entry (Pre-intervention/T1), 8-weeks later (Post-Intervention 1/T2), & 6-months after T2 (Post-Intervention 2/T3)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Hopefulness
timeFrame: Study entry (Pre-intervention/T1), 8-weeks later (Post-Intervention 1/T2), & 6-months after T2 (Post-Intervention 2/T3)
measure: Patient Self-advocacy
timeFrame: Study entry (Pre-intervention/T1), 8-weeks later (Post-Intervention 1/T2), & 6-months after T2 (Post-Intervention 2/T3)
measure: Coping Style
timeFrame: Study entry (Pre-intervention/T1), 8-weeks later (Post-Intervention 1/T2), & 6-months after T2 (Post-Intervention 2/T3)
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Nashville
country: United States
facility: National Alliance on Mental Illness Tennessee
state: Tennessee
Study officials:
affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago
name: Judith A Cook, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago
name: Susan A Pickett, PhD
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
References:
citation: Pickett SA, Diehl S, Steigman PJ, Prater JD, Fox A, Cook JA. Early outcomes and lessons learned from a study of the Building Recovery of Individual Dreams and Goals through Education and Support (BRIDGES) program in Tennessee. Psychiatr Rehabil J. 2010 Autumn;34(2):96-103. doi: 10.2975/34.2.2010.96.103.
citation: Pickett SA, Diehl SM, Steigman PJ, Prater JD, Fox A, Shipley P, Grey DD, Cook JA. Consumer empowerment and self-advocacy outcomes in a randomized study of peer-led education. Community Ment Health J. 2012 Aug;48(4):420-30. doi: 10.1007/s10597-012-9507-0. Epub 2012 Mar 30.
citation: Cook JA, Steigman P, Pickett S, Diehl S, Fox A, Shipley P, MacFarlane R, Grey DD, Burke-Miller JK. Randomized controlled trial of peer-led recovery education using Building Recovery of Individual Dreams and Goals through Education and Support (BRIDGES). Schizophr Res. 2012 Apr;136(1-3):36-42. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2011.10.016. Epub 2011 Nov 29.
citation: Steigman PJ, Pickett SA, Diehl SM, Fox A, Grey DD, Shipley P, Cook JA. Psychiatric symptoms moderate the effects of mental illness self-management in a randomized controlled trial. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2014 Mar;202(3):193-9. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000000098.