Evaluation of a recovery-oriented care training program for mental healthcare professionals: Effects on mental health consumer outcomes

Objectives: To examine the effects of a recovery-oriented care training program for mental healthcare professionals on mental health consumer outcomes. Methods: The Mental Health Recovery Measure (MHRM) and the Recovery-Promoting Relationship Scale (RPRS) were administered to a sample of 142 consumers with severe mental illness. A repeated measurement design with six measurement occasions was used. Analyses: Separate analyses were performed for the MHRM and RPRS subscales. Data were analyzed by means of the software package AMOS for structural equation modeling. First, the means of the five scales were computed at each measurement occasion. Next, two series of regression analyses were conducted: the first series aimed to ascertain whether gender and age have a significant effect on the MHRM and RPRS scores, and the second series aimed to detect a systematic trend in the average scale response of the MHRM and RPRS. Results: Scores showed a significant change over time for the subscale ‘Learning & new potentials’ of the MHRM. Significant effects were also found for gender, with men scoring higher than women on the subscales ‘Self-empowerment’ and ‘Learning & new potentials’. Age had no effect on the MHRM and RPRS. The scores on the RPRS showed no significant change over time. Conclusions: One year after completion of the recovery-oriented training program for professionals, positive results were found for two subscales of the MHRM, that is, ‘Self- empowerment’ and ‘Learning & new potentials’.