Clinical Trial: Balancing Everyday Life - A Lifestyle Intervention for People With Psychiatric Disorders

Study Status: Active, not recruiting
Recruit Status: Active, not recruiting
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Balancing Everyday Life - A Lifestyle Intervention for People With Psychiatric Disorders

Brief Summary:

This is a RCT study, aiming at evaluating the effectiveness of the Everyday Life in Balance (BEL) intervention.

The intervention: The BEL was developed on the basis of previous research on lifestyle interventions made by the current research group and other researchers . It is a group-based programme (5-8 participants) with 12 sessions, one session a week, and 2 booster sessions with two-week intervals. The themes for the group sessions are, e.g., activity balance, healthy living, work-related activities, and social activities. Each session contains a main group activity and a home assignment to be completed between sessions. The main group activity starts with analysing the present situation and proceeds with identifying desired goals and finding strategies for how to reach them. The home assignment is aimed at testing one of the proposed strategies. Self-analysis, setting goals, finding strategies and evaluating the outcome of tested strategies form a process for each session, but also for the BEL intervention as a whole. After completed BEL, the participants will have developed an ability to reflect on their own situation and have strategies for changing their everyday life in a desired direction, such that they feel their everyday life has a satisfactory balance between rest and work, secluded and social activities, etc.

The BEL intervention is led by occupational therapists. They take part in a specifically developed two-day education and follow the BEL manual [7]. They also participate in a web-based discussion forum where they can seek support from the researchers and/ or other BEL occupational therapists.

Selection of units and participants: On the basis of blocks of four units, two are randomized to the BEL and two to the control condition, which is care as usual (

Detailed Summary:

Balancing Everyday Life - evaluation of the effectiveness of an activity-based lifestyle intervention for people with psychiatric disorders

This is a RCT study, evaluating the effectiveness of the Everyday Life in Balance (BEL) intervention.

The intervention: The BEL was developed on the basis of previous research on lifestyle interventions made by the current research group and other researchers. Other important sources of inspiration were descriptive studies on everyday life among people with severe mental illness. It is a group-based programme (5-8 participants) with 12 sessions, one session a week, and 2 booster sessions with two-week intervals. The themes for the group sessions are, e.g., activity balance, motivation, healthy living, work-related activities, leisure and social activities. Each session contains a brief educational section, a main group activity and a home assignment to be completed between sessions. The main group activity starts with analysing the present situation and proceeds with identifying desired goals and finding strategies for how to reach them. The home assignment is aimed at testing one of the proposed strategies. The next-coming session starts with looking back at the home assignment, and depending on the outcome, goals may need to be revised. Self-analysis, setting goals, finding strategies and evaluating the outcome of tested strategies form a process for each session, but also for the BEL intervention as a whole. After completed BEL, the participants will have developed an ability to reflect on their own situation and have strategies for changing their everyday life in a desired direction, such that they feel their everyday life has a satisfactory balance between rest and work, secluded and social activities, etc.

The BEL intervention is
Sponsor: Lund University

Current Primary Outcome:

  • Change in occupational satisfaction and balance as measured by the Satisfaction with Daily Occupations and Balance (SDO-B) scale [ Time Frame: Change from baseline to completed intervention, an average of 16 weeks ]
    Perceived balance between one's everyday activities
  • Change in valued activities as measured by the Occupational Value with pre-defined items ( OVal-pd) [ Time Frame: Change from baseline to completed intervention, an average of 16 weeks ]
  • Change in personal recovery as measured by the Questionnaire of Personal Recovery (QPR) [ Time Frame: Change from baseline to completed intervention, an average of 16 weeks ]
    Personal perceptions of recovery, although clinical recovery has not been accomplished


Original Primary Outcome: Same as current

Current Secondary Outcome:

  • Change in quality of life as measured by the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life (MANSA) [ Time Frame: Change from baseline to completed intervention, an average of 16 weeks ]
  • Change in self-mastery as measured by Pearlin's Mastery Scale [ Time Frame: Change from baseline to completed intervention, an average of 16 weeks ]
    Sense of being able to influence one's life situation
  • Change in self-esteem as measured by Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale [ Time Frame: Change from baseline to completed intervention, an average of 16 weeks ]


Original Secondary Outcome: Same as current

Information By: Lund University

Dates:
Date Received: November 20, 2015
Date Started: November 2013
Date Completion: June 2017
Last Updated: September 12, 2016
Last Verified: September 2016