Consumer and case manager perspectives of service empowerment: relationship to mental health recovery.

This study examines the relationship between service empowerment and recovery. Service empowerment is defined as the extent to which consumers participate in service decisions and the level of reciprocity and respect within the relationship with their case managers. Assessments were made from two perspectives: consumers and their case managers. Structural equation models were developed to examine the direct and indirect effects of service empowerment on four recovery outcomes: Quality of Life, Level of Functioning, Consumer-Reported Symptomatology, and Case Manager-Reported Symptomatology. Consumers' perceptions of service empowerment were the most powerful predictor of recovery outcomes across the four models. Consumers' and case managers' perceptions were related but the magnitude of the relationship was small, indicating that considerable differences exist between their perceptions of service empowerment.

Impact of services, met needs, and service empowerment on consumer outcomes.

The current study examined service characteristics, needs, and outcomes of consumers with severe mental disabilities served in a public mental health setting. The study utilized a longitudinal design with three yearly waves of measurement. Data were obtained from consumer interviews and case manager questionnaires. A model specifying relationships between service characteristics, needs, and outcomes was tested using structural equation modeling. This model incorporated service-related variables pertaining to service amounts, service empowerment, and needs in order to gain a better understanding of factors that mediate service effects and account for mental health outcomes. The model focused on consumers' perspectives, in order to highlight the importance of consumers' opinions about their mental health services and needs. The results suggested that consumers' perceptions that their needs are met were related to better symptomatology and quality of life outcomes. In addition, consumers' perceptions that they had some say in service-related decisions had an indirect effect on mental health outcomes by increasing the likelihood that needs were met according to consumers' perspectives. Results were mixed with regard to the effects of these variables on level of functioning outcomes. Service amount was unrelated to mental health outcomes. Furthermore, service amount was unrelated to consumers' perceptions of needs, suggesting that consumers' views regarding met and unmet needs may not be included sufficiently in decision-making surrounding the provision of services.