title: Enhancing outcomes for persons with co-occurring disorders through skills training and peer recovery support.
abstract: Background: "Recovery supports", often provided by persons in recovery themselves, have emerged over the last decade as important components of recovery-oriented systems of care for persons with substance use disorders.Aims: This study assesses the benefit of adding peer recovery supports to the care of adults with co-occurring psychosis and substance use.Method: 137 adults with both disorders who had at least one prior admission within the past year were recruited during an index hospitalization into a randomized trial of standard care vs skills training with and without a peer-led social engagement program. Participants were assessed at admission and at three and nine months post-discharge on symptoms, functioning, substance use, and other factors.Results: At three months, skills training was effective in reducing alcohol use and symptoms, with the addition of peer-led support resulting in higher levels of relatedness, self-criticism, and outpatient service use. At nine months, skills training was effective in decreasing symptoms and inpatient readmissions and increasing functioning, with the addition of peer support resulting in reduced alcohol use.Conclusions: Adding peer-led support may increase engagement in care over the short term and reduce substance use over the longer-term for adults with co-occurring disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA and.
authors.forename: Maria J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: O'Connell
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA and.
authors.forename: Elizabeth H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Flanagan
authors.affiliation: Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Hartford, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Miriam E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Delphin-Rittmon
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA and.
authors.forename: Larry
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Davidson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D012944:Social Support; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Peer support; co-occurring disorders; readmission; recovery capital; recovery support