Efficacy of a self-esteem module in the empowerment of individuals with schizophrenia

To enhance empowerment and improve self-esteem among individuals with sever e! and persistent mental illness, a 12-week "'module" (a self-contained pro gram of activities) was created and tested in a randomized clinical trial. Fifty-one individuals with schizophrenia were assigned to the experimental group in addition to regular treatment, and 44 individuals participated in a control group that continued with regular treatment only. Psychosocial, d iagnostic, neurocognitive, and symptomatology measures were taken for all 9 5 subjects before treatment (T-0), after treatment (T-1), and at a 6-month follow-up (T-2). Results indicated module effects on coping skills (active coping skills significantly increased) and psychotic symptoms (positive sym ptoms significantly de creased), demonstrating the efficacy of this particu lar type of intervention. Interpretation of the results highlighted the sig nificance of the environment and the role it could potentially play in supp orting the empowerment of severely mentally ill individuals.