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Psychosocial Treatments in Routine Mental Health Care
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Psychosocial Treatments in Routine Mental Health Care

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 18821

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Joan Trujols

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Addictive Behaviors Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
2. Mental Health Networking Biomedical Research Centre (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
Interests: mental health; psychological assessment; cognitive-behavioral therapy; psychosocial well-being; patient-centered research; patient reported outcome measure (PROM); patient and public involvement (PPI); personomics; addictive disorders
Dr. Maria J. Portella

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Group of Research on Psychiatric Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Biomedical Research Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
2. Mental Health Networking Biomedical Research Centre (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
Interests: mental health; neuropsychology; neuroscience; cognitive remediation; psychosocial functioning; affective disorders

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on the psychosocial treatments that are used routinely in real-world clinical settings. The term psychosocial intervention is referred in its broadest sense to include illness and medication management, health promotion, and psychological and social interventions.

There is a growing consensus on a broad range of evidence-based psychosocial interventions, but unfortunately several of them are not routinely implemented in mental health care. Yet, and more importantly, there is a lack of outcome studies that evaluate the real-world implementation and effectiveness of such therapeutic approaches. Therefore, this Special Issue is devoted to gather evidence on experiences upon implementing psychosocial interventions. The resulting issue shall include manuscripts mirroring the potential of interconnecting studies across diagnoses; those from an interdisciplinary perspective within the variety of mental health professionals; those tapping into the diversity of clinical settings; as well as, across countries experiences.

In this Special Issue, submission of original research articles, clinical practice and methodological innovations, and theoretical manuscripts upon barriers and supportive factors involved in implementing evidence-based psychosocial interventions are welcome.

Dr. Joan Trujols
Dr. Maria J. Portella
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Psychological Interventions
  • Social Interventions
  • Recovery-oriented Services
  • Psychoeducation
  • Motivational Interviewing
  • Cognitive Remediation
  • Psychosocial Management of Medical Conditions
  • Psychological Well-being
  • Outcome Assessment
  • Clinical Significance

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 422 KiB  
Article
Unhappy While Depressed: Examining the Dimensionality, Reliability and Validity of the Subjective Happiness Scale in a Spanish Sample of Patients with Depressive Disorders
by Albert Feliu-Soler, Javier de Diego-Adeliño, Juan V. Luciano, Ioseba Iraurgi, Carlo Alemany, Dolors Puigdemont, Víctor Pérez, Maria J. Portella and Joan Trujols
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(20), 10964; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182010964 - 19 Oct 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1914
Abstract
Despite the considerable amount of research evidence on the significant role of subjective happiness on mental health, there is no psychometric study of the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) in psychiatric samples. This study was aimed at exploring the psychometric properties of the SHS [...] Read more.
Despite the considerable amount of research evidence on the significant role of subjective happiness on mental health, there is no psychometric study of the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) in psychiatric samples. This study was aimed at exploring the psychometric properties of the SHS in a Spanish sample of patients with depressive disorders. Participants were 174 patients with a depressive disorder (70% diagnosed as major depressive disorder) who completed the SHS, the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Report (QIDS-SR16), and the EQ-5D Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-5D VAS). Depressive symptoms were also assessed by means of the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS17) and the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) Scale. Dimensionality, internal consistency reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness to change of the SHS were examined. Confirmatory factor analysis replicated the original one-factor structure of the scale. The SHS exhibited good-to-excellent results for internal consistency (α = 0.83) and for convergent [EQ-5D VAS (r = 0.71)] and divergent [QIDS-SR16 (r = −0.72), HDRS17 (r = −0.60) and CGI-S (r = −0.61)] construct validity. The ability of the SHS to differentiate between depression severity levels as well as its responsiveness to clinical change were both highly satisfactory (p < 0.001 in both cases). The SHS retained the soundness of psychometric properties showed in non-clinical samples in a sample of patients with depressive disorders, which supports its use as a reliable and valid outcome measure in the treatment of such disorders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosocial Treatments in Routine Mental Health Care)
14 pages, 752 KiB  
Article
In-Treatment Changes in Quality of Life-Related Variables in Therapeutic Communities for Cocaine Abusers: Are These Changes Associated with Clinical Outcomes?
by Francisco González-Saiz and Esperanza Vergara-Moragues
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(14), 7442; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18147442 - 12 Jul 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2014
Abstract
Background: Few studies have explored changes in quality of life during the first three months of admission to a therapeutic community for addictions. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between these changes and treatment outcomes at discharge. Methods: We [...] Read more.
Background: Few studies have explored changes in quality of life during the first three months of admission to a therapeutic community for addictions. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between these changes and treatment outcomes at discharge. Methods: We undertook a prospective longitudinal study of 142 cocaine-dependent patients treated at a therapeutics community. All of these patients reached the 3-month evaluation and were subsequently followed until discharge. All participants completed the following measures: Health-Related Quality of Life for Drug Abusers Test; Beck Depression Inventory; State–Trait Anxiety Inventory; Opiate Treatment Index; Dual Diagnosis and Discharge Checklist. Results: At the 3-month assessment, scores on the Health-Related Quality of Life for Drug Abusers Test had increased significantly (Cohen’s d: 0.92), while scores on the Opiate Treatment Index (Cohen’s d: 0.86) and Beck Depression Inventory (Cohen’s d: 0.20) scales both decreased significantly. A higher proportion of the patients considered to have achieved “clinically relevant” treatment outcomes at discharge versus those without clinically relevant outcomes were considered “recovered” according to the Reliable Change Index. Conclusions: An improvement in quality of life-related variables from baseline to the 3-month assessment was associated with better outcomes at discharge from the therapeutic community. The findings of this study may help us to optimise therapeutic interventions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosocial Treatments in Routine Mental Health Care)
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10 pages, 1011 KiB  
Article
A Real-World Study of the Association between a Brief Group Psychoeducation and the Course of Bipolar Disorder
by Elisabet Casellas, Beatriz Raventós, Marina Piñeiro-Ríos, Helena Navarro-Martínez, Maite Castillón-Espezel, Maria J. Portella and Ana Martín-Blanco
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(9), 5019; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18095019 - 10 May 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2523
Abstract
Although pharmacotherapy is considered the first-line treatment for bipolar disorders (BD), adjunctive psychoeducation has proven its effectiveness in improving self-management of the disease and reducing relapse rates. Few studies have evaluated the effect of brief group psychoeducation on pragmatic variables, such as the [...] Read more.
Although pharmacotherapy is considered the first-line treatment for bipolar disorders (BD), adjunctive psychoeducation has proven its effectiveness in improving self-management of the disease and reducing relapse rates. Few studies have evaluated the effect of brief group psychoeducation on pragmatic variables, such as the number of hospitalizations. The aim of the present study was to assess the mid-term effect of a four-session group psychoeducation on course-related variables in BD. Thirty-two individuals with BD were included in the study. Sixteen were exposed to psychoeducation and were matched to sixteen nonexposed individuals who received their usual treatment. Both groups were compared on insight, treatment adherence, change in the number of hospitalizations and visits to the emergency services, occurrence rate after intervention, and time to the first psychiatric hospitalization and the first urgent attendance. There was a significant reduction in the mean number of hospitalizations and urgent attendances in the exposed group in comparison to the nonexposed group. The first urgent attendance was significantly sooner in the nonexposed cohort. There were no differences between groups in any of the other variables. This intervention has shown benefits for pragmatic variables of the disease course and may be a feasible and cost-effective intervention to routinely implement in the management of BD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosocial Treatments in Routine Mental Health Care)
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19 pages, 473 KiB  
Article
A Randomised Controlled Trial of a Caregiver-Facilitated Problem-Solving Based Self-Learning Program for Family Carers of People with Early Psychosis
by Wai Tong Chien, Daniel Bressington, Dan I. Lubman and Thanos Karatzias
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(24), 9343; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph17249343 - 14 Dec 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2884
Abstract
Facilitated self-help and problem-solving strategies can empower and support family carers to cope with caregiving for people with severe mental illnesses. This single-blind multi-site randomised controlled trial examined the effects of a five-month family-facilitated problem-solving based self-learning program (PBSP in addition to usual [...] Read more.
Facilitated self-help and problem-solving strategies can empower and support family carers to cope with caregiving for people with severe mental illnesses. This single-blind multi-site randomised controlled trial examined the effects of a five-month family-facilitated problem-solving based self-learning program (PBSP in addition to usual care), versus a family psychoeducation group program and usual psychiatric care only in recent-onset psychosis, with a six-month follow-up. In each of three study sites (integrated community centres for mental wellness), 114 people with early psychosis (≤5 years illness onset) and their family carers were randomly selected and allocated to one of three study groups (n = 38). Caregiving burden (primary outcome) and patients’ and carers’ health conditions were assessed at recruitment, and one-month and six-months post-intervention. Overall, 106 (94.7%) participants completed the assigned intervention and ≥1 post-test. Generalised estimating equations and subsequent contrast tests indicated that the PBSP participants showed significantly greater improvements in carers’ burden, caregiving experiences and problem-solving ability, and patients’ psychotic symptoms, recovery, and duration of re-hospitalisations over the six-month follow-up, compared with the other two groups (moderate to large effect size, η2 = 0.12–0.24). Family-assisted problem-solving based self-learning programs were found to be effective to improve both psychotic patients’ and their carers’ psychosocial health over a medium term, thus reducing patients’ risk of relapse. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosocial Treatments in Routine Mental Health Care)
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20 pages, 362 KiB  
Article
A Pilot Study of a Psychoeducational Group Intervention Delivered at Asylum Accommodation Centers—A Mixed Methods Approach
by Anna Leiler, Elisabet Wasteson, Joanna Holmberg and Anna Bjärtå
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(23), 8953; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph17238953 - 01 Dec 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2128
Abstract
Asylum seekers suffer high levels of distress but have restricted access to mental health care. This paper constitutes an evaluation of a psycho-educational group intervention, called AMIN, which was provided at two asylum accommodation centers in Sweden. A mixed-methods approach was used. To [...] Read more.
Asylum seekers suffer high levels of distress but have restricted access to mental health care. This paper constitutes an evaluation of a psycho-educational group intervention, called AMIN, which was provided at two asylum accommodation centers in Sweden. A mixed-methods approach was used. To assess potential effectiveness, acceptability, and feasibility, quantitative outcome measures were combined with qualitative information from interviews with both intervention participants and staff providing the intervention. Potential effectiveness in reducing symptoms of distress and insomnia and in increasing physical quality of life was found, even though the intervention participants suffered from more severe distress than expected. In general, the intervention seemed to be acceptable to both participants and staff, with concrete strategies seeming more meaningful than abstract psychological techniques. Finally, regardless of the asylum process itself being a complicating factor, the intervention seemed feasible to deliver to individuals with different backgrounds and conditions. Taken together, these results indicate that some sessions may need further elaboration, but also that the transition to a randomized control trial is reasonable. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosocial Treatments in Routine Mental Health Care)

Review

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17 pages, 432 KiB  
Review
Lifestyle Prescription for Depression with a Focus on Nature Exposure and Screen Time: A Narrative Review
by Vicent Balanzá-Martínez and Jose Cervera-Martínez
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(9), 5094; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19095094 - 22 Apr 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3457
Abstract
Recent lifestyles changes have favored increased time in contact with screens and a parallel reduction in contact with natural environments. There is growing awareness that nature exposure and screen time are related to depression. So far, the roles of how these environmental lifestyles [...] Read more.
Recent lifestyles changes have favored increased time in contact with screens and a parallel reduction in contact with natural environments. There is growing awareness that nature exposure and screen time are related to depression. So far, the roles of how these environmental lifestyles affect depressive symptoms and disorders have not been reviewed simultaneously. The aim of this review was to gather the literature regarding the role of nature exposure and screen time in depression. An emphasis was made on clinical samples of patients with well-defined depression and the different methodological approaches used in the field. A second goal was to suggest an agenda for clinical practice and research. Studies were included if they assessed depressive symptoms in patients with a clinical diagnosis of depression. An overview of the published literature was conducted using three scientific databases up to December 2021. Several interventions involving nature exposure have shown positive effects on depressive symptoms and mood-related measures. The most consistent finding suggests that walks in natural environments may decrease depressive symptoms in patients with clinical depression. Less researched interventions, such as psychotherapy delivered in a forest or access to natural environments via virtual reality, may also be effective. In contrast, fewer observational studies and no experimental research on screen time have been conducted in patients with clinical depression. Thus, recommendations for practice and research are also discussed. Scarce research, diverse interventions, and several methodological shortcomings prevent us from drawing conclusions in this area. More high-quality experimental research is needed to establish interventions with proven efficacy in clinical depression. At this stage, it is too early to formulate practice guidelines and advise the prescription of these lifestyles to individuals with depression. The present findings may serve as a basis to develop strategies based on nature exposure and screen time targeting clinical depression. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosocial Treatments in Routine Mental Health Care)

Other

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14 pages, 849 KiB  
Study Protocol
Improving Depressive Symptoms through Personalised Exercise and Activation (IDEA): Study Protocol for a Randomised Controlled Trial
by Aitana García-Estela, Natalia Angarita-Osorio, Sandra Alonso, Maria Polo, Maria Roldán-Berengué, Monique Messaggi-Sartor, Estanislao Mur-Mila, Laura Vargas-Puertolas, Víctor Pérez, Esther Duarte and Francesc Colom
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(12), 6306; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18126306 - 10 Jun 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2632
Abstract
Individuals who suffer from depressive symptoms experience a substantial impact on psychosocial functioning, physical health, mortality, and quality of life. In the search for therapeutic strategies, exercise has been found to play a relevant part in its treatment. However, the promotion of exercise [...] Read more.
Individuals who suffer from depressive symptoms experience a substantial impact on psychosocial functioning, physical health, mortality, and quality of life. In the search for therapeutic strategies, exercise has been found to play a relevant part in its treatment. However, the promotion of exercise entails adherence difficulties that arose out of the tendency towards sedentarism led by symptomatology. Personalised exercise plans on top of usual care have the potential to enhance behavioural changes and mental health. The present study aims at evaluating the changes in functioning deriving from a blended intervention merging a psychological intervention with a personalised exercise programme based on medical assessment. We will conduct a three-arm randomised controlled trial in which 172 participants suffering from mild–moderate depressive symptoms will be allocated to Intervention A (personalised exercise group programme + app with motivational messages), B (personalised exercise group programme + app with no motivational messages) or control group (app with no motivational messages). Data regarding global functioning, well-being, symptoms, physical activity, and exercise capacity will be collected at baseline, 4, 12, and 36 weeks. The results of this trial will provide information about whether this physical activity support programme may be efficient for improving mental and physical health outcomes. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04857944 (accessed on 15 April 2021). Registered April 2021. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosocial Treatments in Routine Mental Health Care)
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