Bridging Community Gaps Photovoice (BCGP)

Randomized Trial of a Peer-led Intervention to Promote Community Living and Participation - The Bridging Community Gaps Photovoice

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Mental Illness; Social Isolation
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Bridging Community Gaps Photovoice (BCGP)

Detailed 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.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 197
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Colorado
    • Denver, Colorado, United States, 80204
      • Mental Health Center of Denver
  • Connecticut
    • Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States, 06610
      • Greater Bridgeport Mental Health Center
  • Massachusetts
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02215
      • Boston University, Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation
    • Wakefield, Massachusetts, United States, 01880
      • Horizon House- Riverside Community Care

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

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.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Bridging Community Gaps Photovoice (BCGP); The BCGP program is a 6-month photovoice-based intervention to help individuals with psychiatric disabilities enhance their community participation.	Behavioral: Bridging Community Gaps Photovoice (BCGP); Participants assigned to this group will be part of the 6-month long BCGP intervention, which involves a 12- week class that meets weekly, 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 BCGP classes follow a manualized curriculum with sessions that combine didactic information, Photovoice exercises, and group discussions to empower participants in pursuing community participation goals, all refined with input from individuals with a lived experience.
No Intervention: Services as Usual; Individuals in this group continue with their regular mental health services with no additional intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
UCLA Loneliness Scale	is a 20-item 4-point Likert-type scale, widely used measure of loneliness and social isolation. Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranging from .89 to .94.	Change from Baseline to 3 months to 6 months to 9 months to 12 months
Multi-Dimensional Assessment of Community Participation	Consists of a set of objective and subjective measures of community belonging, inclusion and participation.	Change from Baseline to 3 months to 6 months to 9 months to 12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale	29-item, 4-point scale from (strongly disagree to strongly agree) assesses behaviors, thoughts and feelings that are self-stigmatizing including alienation, stereotype endorsement, social withdrawal, stigma resistance.	Change from Baseline to 3 months to 6 months to 9 months to 12 months
The Stigma Scale	28 item, 5 point scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree) measuring experienced and anticipated stigma.	Change from Baseline to 3 months, 3 months to 6 months, 6 months to 9 months, 9 months to 12 months
Approaches to Coping with Anti-Stigma	27-item instrument with a 4 point scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree) measuring strategies to cope with stigma: secrecy, withdrawal, educating, challenging, and distancing.	Change from Baseline to 3 months to 6 months to 9 months to 12 months
Personal Growth and Recovery Scale	25-item, 4 point scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree) of items measuring psychosocial functioning and recovery.	Change from Baseline to 3 months to 6 months to 9 months to 12 months
Community Goal Achievement Scale	adapted from Goal Attainment Scale, provides a structured approach to determining goal achievement regardless of the type or uniqueness of goal .	Change from Baseline to 3 months to 6 months to 9 months to 12 months
Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale (BASIS - R)	A 24-item scale that measures: mood disturbances, anxiety, interpersonal and role functioning, daily living skills, psychotic symptoms, impulsivity and substance use	Change from Baseline to 3 months to 6 months to 9 months to 12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Boston University Charles River Campus
• Collaborators: Mental Health Center of Denver; Connecticut State, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; Riverside Community Care
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Erna S Rogers, PhD, Boston University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 5, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 11, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): September 11, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 19, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 21, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): September 25, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 16, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 12, 2020
• Last Verified: September 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Stigma; Mental Illness; Community Participation; Photovoice
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 4591

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: Undecided

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No