Abstract
Objectives: This study aims to examine the treatment effects of Positive Occupation-Based Practice (POBP) in individuals with mental illness using the Engagement Estimation System (EES) of the Assessment of Positive Occupation 15 (APO-15) in a single-group, pre/post-comparison design in a multicenter study.
Method: This study was a collaboration between day hospitals (two facilities) and psychiatric hospitals (three facilities). The sample consisted of a diverse group of participants, aged 20-80 years, diagnosed with psychiatric disorders and recruited with the consent of their treating physicians. This study examined the treatment effects of POBP with EES applied as an adjunct to day hospital or psychiatric occupational therapy in a single-group, pre/post-comparison design. Participants were asked to attend the standard program and the EES-applied POBP program at each facility. The intervention period was 5 months, starting from baseline, with an additional 1-month follow-up period after completion of the intervention. In this study, the Subjective Well-being Scale was used as the primary outcome measure. In addition, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule and the APO-15 were used as secondary outcome measures.
Results: The study included 18 participants. Basic participant information included diagnosis (12 schizophrenia, 5 depression, 1 organic psychosis), gender (9 male, 9 female), age (57.61 [±13.25]), and living environment (12 community, 6 hospital). EES-applied POBP showed a statistically significant therapeutic effect on 7 of the 9 factors in the three outcome measures.
Conclusion: The EES-applied POBP may contribute to the effective enhancement of subjective well-being and positive emotions in individuals with mental illness.
