Tricia Nagel1, Gary Robinson, John Condon, Tom Trauer. 1. Top End Mental Health Services, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Rocklands Drive, Casuarina, Northern Territory 0810, Australia. tricia.nagel@menzies.edu.au
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To develop and evaluate a culturally adapted brief intervention for Indigenous people with chronic mental illness. DESIGN: A mixed methods design in which an exploratory phase of qualitative research was followed by a nested randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Psycho-education resources and a brief intervention, motivational care planning (MCP), were developed and tested in collaboration with aboriginal mental health workers in three remote communities in northern Australia. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 49 patients with mental illness and 37 carers were recruited to a randomised controlled trial that compared MCP (n = 24) with a clinical control condition (treatment as usual, n = 25). INTERVENTION: The early treatment group received MCP at baseline and the late treatment group received delayed treatment at six months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was mental health problem severity as measured by the health of the nation outcome scales. Secondary measures of well-being (Kessler 10), life skills, self-management and substance dependence were chosen. Outcome assessments were performed at baseline, six-month, 12-month and 18-month follow up. RESULTS: Random effects regression analyses showed significant advantage for the treatment condition in terms of well-being with changes in health of the nation outcome scales (P < 0.001) and Kessler 10 (P = 0.001), which were sustained over time. There was also significant advantage for treatment for alcohol dependence (P = 0.05), with response also evident in cannabis dependence (P = 0.064) and with changes in substance dependence sustained over time. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that MCP is an effective treatment for Indigenous people with mental illness and provide insight into the experience of mental illness in remote communities.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: To develop and evaluate a culturally adapted brief intervention for Indigenous people with chronic mental illness. DESIGN: A mixed methods design in which an exploratory phase of qualitative research was followed by a nested randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Psycho-education resources and a brief intervention, motivational care planning (MCP), were developed and tested in collaboration with aboriginal mental health workers in three remote communities in northern Australia. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 49 patients with mental illness and 37 carers were recruited to a randomised controlled trial that compared MCP (n = 24) with a clinical control condition (treatment as usual, n = 25). INTERVENTION: The early treatment group received MCP at baseline and the late treatment group received delayed treatment at six months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was mental health problem severity as measured by the health of the nation outcome scales. Secondary measures of well-being (Kessler 10), life skills, self-management and substance dependence were chosen. Outcome assessments were performed at baseline, six-month, 12-month and 18-month follow up. RESULTS: Random effects regression analyses showed significant advantage for the treatment condition in terms of well-being with changes in health of the nation outcome scales (P < 0.001) and Kessler 10 (P = 0.001), which were sustained over time. There was also significant advantage for treatment for alcohol dependence (P = 0.05), with response also evident in cannabis dependence (P = 0.064) and with changes in substance dependence sustained over time. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that MCP is an effective treatment for Indigenous people with mental illness and provide insight into the experience of mental illness in remote communities.