Comparing the Effects of Continuous Care Model and Psychological Support Training Package on Self-Care in Patients with Bipolar I Disorder

Background: Despite the growing prevalence of bipolar I disorder (BD-I), implementation of continuous care after hospital discharge in these patients is limited. Aim: To compare the effects of continuous care model (CCM) and psychological support training package (PSTP) on self-care in patients with BD-I. Method: This clinical trial was conducted during 2017-2018 on 90 BD-I patients admitted to Ibn-Sina Psychiatric Hospital in Mashhad, Iran. CCM and PSTP designed in the form of a CD and a manual were implemented (within 12 weeks) to intervention groups. A control group received the routine care. The research instrument was Roldan-Merino Self-Care Requisites Scale completed before and two months following the intervention. To analyze the data, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was run in SPSS, version 16. Results: The two study groups were homogeneous in terms of demographic characteristics. The results of one-way ANOVA before the intervention revealed no significant difference among the three groups considering self-care mean scores (P=0.52); however, this variable was significantly different among the groups following the intervention (P<0.001). According to the post-hoc Dunnett’s test results, a significant difference was observed in self-care mean scores between the CCM and control groups (P<0.001) and between the CCM and PSTP groups (P=0.04). Nonetheless, there was no significant difference between the CCM and control groups in this regard (P=0.13). Implications for Practice: CCM can improve self-care in patients with BD-I. Therefore, it could be used to empower these patients and their families.