Bridging Community Gaps Photovoice (BCGP)

Boston University Charles River Campus

Status: Completed

Conditions: Mental Illness; Social Isolation

Treatments: Behavioral: Bridging Community Gaps Photovoice (BCGP)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03291717

4591

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to test a peer-led intervention intended to promote the community living and participation of individuals with psychiatric disabilities entitled "Bridging Community Gaps Photovoice" (BCGP). The intervention targets increasing community involvement of individuals with psychiatric disabilities through reduction in self-stigma and perceived stigma, enhancing opportunities for community participation, and support to achieve community participation goals.

Full description

The BCGP intervention is 6 months long and the investigators expect that participants will experience lower self and perceived stigma, increased community participation and sense of belonging, and improved psychosocial functioning and personal growth after the intervention. The intervention is comprised of a 12-week class that meets once a week for two hours, followed by three booster sessions - one per month in the three months following the class, and up to 24 sessions of individual support as needed throughout the 6 months provided on a weekly basis either in person or by phone. The purpose of the individual support is to reinforce the class activities and to ensure the participants meets their community participation goal. The proposed study is a randomized trial which will be conducted at Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation (BUCPR) in Massachusetts, the Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD) in Colorado, and the Greater Bridgeport Mental Health Center (GBMHC) in Connecticut.

Enrollment: 197 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. are 18 or older.
2. are recipients of services at research sites due to having a DSM-V diagnosis of mental illness, including dual diagnosis (dual diagnosis refers to co-occurring mental illness and alcohol/ substance use disorder).
3. are interested in enhancing their community participation.
4. are not currently receiving individual peer support services.
5. are able to read and write in English.

Exclusion criteria

1)Inability to give full and knowing consent.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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197 participants in 2 patient groups

Bridging Community Gaps Photovoice (BCGP)

Experimental group

Description:

The BCGP program is a 6-month photovoice-based intervention to help individuals with psychiatric disabilities enhance their community participation.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Bridging Community Gaps Photovoice (BCGP)

Services as Usual

No Intervention group

Description:

Individuals in this group continue with their regular mental health services with no additional intervention.