Project Meaningful Activities and Recovery

Summary

Occupational therapy interventions are often part of the treatment and rehabilitation services offered to people with mental illnesses. Occupational therapy can be an important contribution when the purpose is to promote participation in everyday activities that are meaningful for the individual. (1-3) There is limited evidence to support whether occupational therapy interventions for people with mental illnesses have an effect. (2,3) Based on principles from Lifestyle Redesign®, which is an evidence-based occupational therapy intervention for older people, a comparative qualitative study with participant experiences from various psychosocial rehabilitation efforts, and a dialogue-based collaboration with experienced occupational therapists and peer staff from community mental health centers, we developed a new recovery oriented occupational therapy intervention to people with disabilities due to mental illness.

The intervention "Meaningful activities and recovery" (MA\&R) - is an eight-month rehabilitation program. The aim of MA\&R is to enable participation in activities that are meaningful to the individual.

Project Meaningful Activities and Recovery (MA\&R) is a clinical trial where the purpose is to compare the effects of: 1) "Meaningful activities and Recovery" (MA\&R) in addition to standard care and 2) standard care as it is now offered to people with psychiatric disabilities.

The design is a randomized clinical trial with self-reported assessments. Based on sample size calculation, 128 participants will be included in the trials. The primary endpoint is activity engagement, and the secondary effect goals are personal recovery, functioning and quality of life. Participants are followed up at the end of the intervention, after eight months.

Conditions

• Mental Illness

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Meaningful Activities and Recovery

MA\&R is a new rehabilitation program for people with psychiatric disabilities. MA\&R aims to enable participation in everyday activities that are meaningful to the individual. MA\&R is based on occupational science, and the underlying premise that there is a connection between mental health, recovery and meaningful everyday activities. The goal of MA\&R is that participants through the course become better at connecting daily activities with values, interests, plans and goals. When this connection is strengthened, it supports the experience of meaningfulness in everyday life. MA\&R is led by two mentors where one mentor is an occupational therapist (or similar) and the other has lived experiences of mental vulnerability and recovery.

BEHAVIORAL

Standard Care and Treatment

For community mental health centres: medicine, psychoeducation, relational support, peer-support, psychotherapy, social counselling, care manager For psychiatric rehabilitation services in Copenhagen, Odense and Svendborg: drop in centres, relational support, skills training, peer-support

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Amager Hospital

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Lene F Eplov · Copenhagen Research Center of Mental Health (CORE)

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2018-09-19

Primary Completion

2021-06-30

Completion

2021-06-30

Countries

• Denmark

Study Locations