[PH-1-5] Experiences of people with mental illness participating in Grow to Recovery program in Taiwan
Background
In recent decades, recovery-oriented approach has been the main trend in mental health field. This approach emphasizes that people with mental illness can live a hopeful life even though symptoms still exist. It focuses on personal experience and potential. However, few Taiwanese people with mental illness understand the concepts of recovery. A recovery group that explains recovery concepts can benefit these people. Grow to Recovery program is a structured group that has been culturally adapted and can provide recovery information appropriate for people with mental illness in Taiwan. This study aimed to investigate experiences of Taiwanese people with mental illness participating in Grow to Recovery program.
Method
Study participants were recruited from two community mental health agencies in Taiwan. They had to meet the following inclusion criteria: diagnosis of mental illness, age of 20 yr or older, residence in the community, receipt of services from the collaborating agency, and ability to follow the group rules and participate in a group. This study was part of a randomized controlled trial. Participants of the intervention group participated in Grow to Recovery program, which gathered for a 1.5-hr session once a week for 20 weeks. The final session included a discussion to understand the experiences and thoughts of participants in the program. The discussion was recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used for the qualitative data analysis.
Results
Of the 36 participants in the intervention group, 50% were men; 77.78% had been diagnosed with schizophrenia; 58.34% had a college or higher education. Participants’ mean age was 39.89±9.66. The study identified two themes from the results. The first theme was the impact of Grow to Recovery program, which includes five subthemes: change the thinking framework, improve self-concept, increase self-affirmation, learn recovery principles and strategies, and obtain peer support. The second theme was factors influencing personal recovery, which included nonlinear changes of mental illness and stigma.
Conclusion
People with mental illness perceived positive personal growth throughout Grow to Recovery program, which can support them to embark on their recovery journey. Qualitative data obtained from this study supplemented the effectiveness of Grow to Recovery program. In the future, Grow to Recovery program can be widely used in clinical services to promote recovery of people with mental illness in Taiwan.
In recent decades, recovery-oriented approach has been the main trend in mental health field. This approach emphasizes that people with mental illness can live a hopeful life even though symptoms still exist. It focuses on personal experience and potential. However, few Taiwanese people with mental illness understand the concepts of recovery. A recovery group that explains recovery concepts can benefit these people. Grow to Recovery program is a structured group that has been culturally adapted and can provide recovery information appropriate for people with mental illness in Taiwan. This study aimed to investigate experiences of Taiwanese people with mental illness participating in Grow to Recovery program.
Method
Study participants were recruited from two community mental health agencies in Taiwan. They had to meet the following inclusion criteria: diagnosis of mental illness, age of 20 yr or older, residence in the community, receipt of services from the collaborating agency, and ability to follow the group rules and participate in a group. This study was part of a randomized controlled trial. Participants of the intervention group participated in Grow to Recovery program, which gathered for a 1.5-hr session once a week for 20 weeks. The final session included a discussion to understand the experiences and thoughts of participants in the program. The discussion was recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used for the qualitative data analysis.
Results
Of the 36 participants in the intervention group, 50% were men; 77.78% had been diagnosed with schizophrenia; 58.34% had a college or higher education. Participants’ mean age was 39.89±9.66. The study identified two themes from the results. The first theme was the impact of Grow to Recovery program, which includes five subthemes: change the thinking framework, improve self-concept, increase self-affirmation, learn recovery principles and strategies, and obtain peer support. The second theme was factors influencing personal recovery, which included nonlinear changes of mental illness and stigma.
Conclusion
People with mental illness perceived positive personal growth throughout Grow to Recovery program, which can support them to embark on their recovery journey. Qualitative data obtained from this study supplemented the effectiveness of Grow to Recovery program. In the future, Grow to Recovery program can be widely used in clinical services to promote recovery of people with mental illness in Taiwan.