Person-Oriented Recovery of Individuals With Serious Mental Illnesses: A Review and Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Findings

Although there is significant literature examining changes over time in the functional recovery of people with serious mental illnesses, relatively little is known about the longitudinal nature of person-oriented recovery. The purpose of this review and meta-analysis is to synthesize findings pertaining to the study of person-oriented recovery constructs over time and concomitants of change.

Systematic searches up to February 2017 were conducted and were supplemented by hand-searching of reference lists and by contacting study authors. Twenty-three independent studies that included a sample of individuals with serious mental illnesses and that quantitatively measured person-oriented recovery, empowerment, or hope over at least two time points were included in the review. Of these, seven were randomized controlled trials that were included in the meta-analysis. Data were independently extracted by two reviewers. Aggregate effect sizes for person-oriented recovery outcomes were calculated, and individual, intervention, and methodological characteristics served as moderators in meta-regression analyses.

The meta-analysis (N=1,739 participants) demonstrated that consumers experience greater (and sustained) improvement in person-oriented recovery outcomes when they are involved in recovery-oriented mental health treatment versus usual care or other types of treatment. Only type of intervention provider was a significant moderator; a study of an intervention that was delivered by both mental health professionals and peer providers demonstrated the greatest differences between treatment and control groups.

Recovery-focused interventions, especially those that involve collaborations between mental health professionals and peer providers, may serve to foster increased recovery, hope, and empowerment among individuals with serious mental illnesses.