Effectiveness of an Assertive Community Treatment program for people with severe schizophrenia in mainland China - a 12-month randomized controlled trial
- PMID: 29962366
- DOI: 10.1017/S0033291718001629
Effectiveness of an Assertive Community Treatment program for people with severe schizophrenia in mainland China - a 12-month randomized controlled trial
Abstract
Background: Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is an evidence-based treatment program for people with severe mental illness developed in high-income countries. We report the first randomized controlled trial of ACT in mainland China.
Methods: Sixty outpatients with schizophrenia with severe functional impairments or frequent hospitalizations were randomly assigned to ACT (n = 30) or standard community treatment (n = 30). The severity of symptoms and level of social functioning were assessed at baseline and every 3 months during the 1-year study. The primary outcome was the duration of hospital readmission. Secondary outcomes included a pre-post change in symptom severity, the rates of symptom relapse and gainful employment, social and occupational functioning, and quality of life of family caregivers.
Results: Based on a modified intention-to-treat analysis, the outcomes for ACT were significantly better than those of standard community treatment. ACT patients were less likely to be readmitted [3.3% (1/30) v. 25.0% (7/28), Fisher's exact test p = 0.023], had a shorter mean readmission time [2.4 (13.3) v. 30.7 (66.9) days], were less likely to relapse [6.7% (2/30) v. 28.6% (8/28), Fisher's exact test p = 0.038], and had shorter mean time in relapse [3.5 (14.6) v. 34.4 (70.6) days]. The ACT group also had significantly longer times re-employed and greater symptomatic improvement and their caregivers experienced a greater improvement in their quality of life.
Conclusion: Our results show that culturally adapted ACT is both feasible and effective for individuals with severe schizophrenia in urban China. Replication studies with larger samples and longer duration of follow up are warranted.
Keywords: Assertive Community Treatment (ACT); community mental health services; family psychoeducation; randomized controlled trial (RCT); schizophrenia.
Comment in
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The Ferrari v. the bicycle.Psychol Med. 2019 Jan;49(1):170-171. doi: 10.1017/S0033291718002179. Epub 2018 Aug 24. Psychol Med. 2019. PMID: 30139412 No abstract available.
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Assertive Community Treatment in China - it is time for a made-in-China solution.Psychol Med. 2019 Jan;49(1):172-174. doi: 10.1017/S0033291718003094. Epub 2018 Oct 22. Psychol Med. 2019. PMID: 30345937 No abstract available.
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