Peer-led Education Increases Self-esteem and Assertiveness
A study of 428 adults with mental illness diagnoses were randomly assigned to the Building Recovery of Individual Dreams and Goals (BRIDGES) peer-led education intervention or a service as usual wait-list control group found that BRIDGES participants experienced significant increases in overall empowerment, self-esteem, and self-advocacy assertiveness, and maintained these improved outcomes over time. Research will be published inÌýCommunity Mental Health Journal.
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Consumer Empowerment and Self-Advocacy Outcomes in a Randomized Study of Peer-Led Education.
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Ìý2012 Mar 30. [Epub ahead of print]
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Source
Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1601 W. Taylor Street, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA, pickett@ psych.uic.edu.
Abstract
This study examined the effectiveness of the Building Recovery of Individual Dreams and Goals (BRIDGES) peer-led education intervention in empowering mental health consumers to become better advocates for their own care.
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A total of 428 adults with mental illness were randomly assigned to BRIDGES (intervention condition) or a services as usual wait list (control condition). Interviews were conducted at enrollment, at the end of the intervention, and 6-months post-intervention.
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Random regression results indicate that, compared to controls, BRIDGES participants experienced significant increases in overall empowerment, empowerment-self-esteem, and self-advocacy-assertiveness, and maintained these improved outcomes over time.
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Peer-led education interventions may provide participants with the information, skills and support they need to become more actively involved in the treatment decision-making process.
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