Results
Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale
Participants experienced a decrease in difficulties regulating emotions moving from an average score of 98.16 (SD = 21.14) on the DERS to 95.44 (SD = 19.36) post completion of the programme, however, this change was not statistically significant, t (24) =1.14, p= .27. See graph below for visual representation.
Graph: Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale Total Scores
The Fear of Recurrence Scale (FORSE)
In terms of patients fear of recurrence measured by the Fear of Recurrence Scale (FORSE), there was no statistically significant change identified between pre and post measures , t(25) = .63, p=.54.
Recovery Assessment Scale
Total RAS scores increased from pre measurement (M=146.38, SD =.20.2) to post measurement (M=148.63, SD=17.67) on the Recovery Assessment Scale indicating greater overall recovery. However, this increase was not statistically significant, t (23) = .68, p = .50.
Graph: Recovery Assessment Scale Total Scores
Additional Research
A Doctoral Thesis research project due for publication in 2017, found clinically significant improvements from pre to post intervention on the measures outlined above ( N=55 participants who attended Living Through Psychosis in 2015 and 2016).
Furthermore as part of the doctoral thesis qualitative interviews were carried out and analysed using Thematic Analysis. Five main themes were identified by group members who completed programme. Some of their quotes can be seen below:
Theme 1: Connecting
“I met people who have it as well and you know they’re kind of not this scary image that’s depicted in the media… they’re just normal people going about their life day to day lives, who are just struggling with something, like a lot of people do and that’s helped me”
Theme 2: Building Hope
“You get the tools to deal with the situations and… so as a result you are able to kind of calm yourself down or deal a little better or you know not be so scared or so sad”
Theme 3: Learning and Implementing
“Because I have a better idea of what can cause psychosis I’ve a better way of dealing with it”
Theme 4: Re–evaluating
‘Hearing voices and um a bit of a break from reality that is kinda what I recognised psychosis to be. It’s just a combination of symptoms and it’s like… I think it really is like…I think it’s like really acute anxiety and fear’.
Theme 5: Concluding and Recommending
‘It was overall really positive experience, and I’ve made some good friends as well out of it. For me obviously with the stigma… I keep going back to it, but it really helped me in that regard and being able to relate to other people about it and stuff like that. I feel I have more skills to deal with the difficulties related to the illness and um… I don’t feel so overwhelmed at the prospect of the future’.