An integrated mental health and vocational intervention: A longitudinal study on mental health changes among young adults.
Ulrika Liljeholm, Elisabeth Argentzell, Ulrika Bejerholm
PMID 33072359WHAT IT FOUND
Depressive symptoms and empowerment did not clearly change over 12 months in young adults receiving integrated mental health and work support.
Quality of life and daily activity engagement improved.
Key findings
01Depressive symptoms did not change significantly from baseline to 12-month follow-up (p = .241), although severity moved from moderate to less severe depression on a 0 to 54 scale.
02Quality of life improved from a median score of 43 to 49 on a 16 to 84 scale between baseline and 12 months (p = .007).
03Engagement in everyday activities improved from a median score of 21 to 26 on a 9 to 36 scale between baseline and 12 months (p = .002).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample was small and explorative, with 42 participants at baseline. The study had no control group, so it cannot show that the intervention caused the changes. Depressive symptoms and empowerment did not reach statistical significance, and the authors' interpretation of these trends as clinically relevant is uncertain. Five participants dropped out, and missing data were imputed, which may affect the outcome estimates. The sample combined two settings and two age groups, and the older group had higher engagement at 12 months, so age and setting differences may influence results. The intervention combined mental health support, vocational support, job development, career planning, job seeking, workplace support and mobilising a support network, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. Participants had major depressive or bipolar disorder and wanted work, so results may not apply to people with other diagnoses or no interest in employment.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this intervention reduced depression. Depressive symptoms did not change significantly over 12 months (p = .241), and because there was no control group, the improvements in quality of life and daily engagement cannot be shown to be caused by the intervention. The package also combined mental health and vocational support, so the contribution of either component alone cannot be separated.