Predictors of perceived social effectiveness of individuals with serious mental illness.

OBJECTIVE: Social effectiveness continues to play a critical role in recovery of people with serious mental illness (SMI), with greater social effectiveness predicting many positive life outcomes. Despite the abundance of literature supporting the relationship between perceptions and behavior, little is known about predictors of perceived social effectiveness of individuals with SMI. METHODS: The purpose of this study is to examine the predictors of perceived social effectiveness of individuals with SMI. Cross-sectional data of 192 participants with SMI recruited from four psychiatric rehabilitation clubhouses in 2 states in the South and Midwest regions of the United States were used for this study. Self-report data on category of psychiatric disabilities, psychiatric symptoms, cognition, insight, educational attainment, empathy, interpersonal interactions and relationships, self-stigma, disability acceptance, and perceived social effectiveness were collected and analyzed using multiple regression analysis (MRA). RESULTS: MRA yielded a regression model that accounted for 56% of the variance in perceived social effectiveness, which is considered a large effect size. Controlling for all other factors, mood disorder, educational attainment, empathy, interpersonal interactions and relationships, and disability acceptance were found to be significant predictors of perceived social effectiveness of persons with SMI. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Practitioners should consider determining points of intervention and targeting specific elements that enhance perceived social effectiveness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Consumer perceptions of assertive community treatment interventions.

The issue of coercion in community-based mental health programs is frequently linked to the development of the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) model. Sixty-five adults diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness, participating in an ACT model program, completed measures that assessed elements of coercion and the perceived frequency of use of ACT staff therapeutic limit setting activities, as well as the relationships between coercion, empowerment, quality of life, and the working alliance. On average, participants did not perceive high degrees of coercion or negative pressures and did not feel excluded from the process of making decisions. On the continuum of restrictiveness of therapeutic limit setting activities, participants perceived staff to be using less restrictive therapeutic limit setting activities more frequently. Elements of perceived coercion and specific activities were negatively related to quality of life, sense of empowerment, and the working alliance.

Empowerment variables for rehabilitation clients on perceived beliefs concerning work quality of life domains.

This article describes and presents an initial analysis of variables generally associated with empowerment towards perceived beliefs concerning quality of life work domains for individuals with disabilities. The model examines the domains of importance, satisfaction, control and degree of interference of disability that an individual feels towards work. The internet based study used results from 70 individuals with disabilities in varying aspects of work. The variables composing empowerment that correlated strongly with the work domains include: self-advocacy, self-efficacy, perceived stigma, and family resiliency as measured through coping. Quality of Life concerning work was measured through the DSC-C a domain specific QOL instrument.

Gainful employment reduces stigma toward people recovering from schizophrenia.

Stigma impedes the social integration of persons recovering from psychiatric disability, especially those with criminal histories. Little is known about factors that lessen this stigma. Four hundred and four adults listened to one of four vignettes describing a 25-year-old male with schizophrenia and responded to a standard set of items measuring social distance. The individual who was gainfully employed (vs. unemployed), or who had a prior misdemeanor (vs. felony) criminal offense, elicited significantly less stigma. Employment may destigmatize a person coping with both psychiatric disability and a criminal record. Mental health services should encourage paid employment and other paths to community integration.