Exploring the Experience of Community Participation Among Individuals With Serious Mental Illness.
Samantha B Randolph, Deanna M Barch, Dror Ben-Zeev and 1 others
PMID 39056540WHAT IT FOUND
People with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder participated less often and more in unstructured activities, while higher depressive symptoms were linked to more loneliness during community participation.
Key findings
01People with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder reported less community participation than controls and than people with major depressive disorder.
02The schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder group reported community participation more often during unstructured socialization, media use, smoking, and doing nothing in particular.
03Higher depressive symptoms were associated with more momentary loneliness during community participation in the bipolar and major depressive disorder groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
No observer ratings were available for many participants, so self-reported social functioning could not be checked against another perspective. Only people with mobile devices and cellular service were included, so those without reliable technology may be missing. The survey category socialization did not record where or what participants were doing, so unstructured participation is hard to interpret. Study timing may have shaped activities, including summer school patterns and pandemic restrictions. Some participants had clubhouse or supported housing services, which may have limited or shaped available activities. Participants may have been more community-engaged than people who did not take part.
Declared interests
Funding is reported as NIH extramural research support; no author conflict statement appears in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this study shows an intervention reduces loneliness or improves participation. It is observational and only describes patterns and momentary associations.