E. Hamernik et Ki. Pakenham, Assertive community treatment for persons with severe mental disorders: A controlled treatment outcome study, BEHAV CHANG, 16(4), 1999, pp. 259-268
The present study evaluated the efficacy of an Assertive Community Treatmen
t (ACT) program for the seriously mentally ill. Outcomes of the program wer
e assessed at baseline and 12-month follow-lip and were compared with that
of a control group, which received standard community care. Thirty-six subj
ects with serious mental disorders participated in the study. Dependent mea
sures included number of hospital admissions and hospital bed days per year
, life skills, quality of life, and psychiatric symptoms. Results of 2 x 2
(treatment/control group x baseline / Ii-month follow-up) repeated measures
ANOVAs indicated that, after 1 year, both treatments lead to a significant
reduction in hospital admissions and bed days, and to improvement in life
skills. ACT subjects evidenced a greater decrease in psychiatric symptoms c
ompared to control group subjects. In general, markedly more ACT subjects s
howed reliable clinical change in life skills, quality of life, and psychia
tric symptoms than control subjects. Although the ACT did produce greater c
linical change than standard case management, it did not produce statistica
lly greater improvement across most domains of functioning in the short ter
m.