Authors (including presenting author) :
Yiu YM(1), Chan SM(1), Li MC(1), Leung SC(1),Lo WY(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Occupational Therapy Department(OTD), Kowloon Hospital (KH)
Introduction :
Mental health is a state of well-being that people realize their own potential, can cope with the normal stresses, work efficiently and contribute to their community. According to the survey conducted by the Organizing Committee of the 2018 Mental Health Month, most Hongkongers’ mental well-being were below on scale. Especially psychiatric patients, they usually had poor well-being which would lower their level of functioning, leading to increase chance of relapse and readmission. However, well-being enhancement programs are still rarely described in mental health service in Hong Kong. A new Well-being Program is therefore designed for out-patients with MI.
Objectives :
This pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Well-being Program on enhancement of mood and mental well-being of out-patients with MI in OTD.
Methodology :
This pilot study was a quasi-experimental design. Subjects were recruited by case therapists of Psychiatric Outpatient Unit of OTD. The Well-being Program consisted of 11 sessions and a graduation ceremony. It was based on the theoretical frameworks of Recovery Model, Positive Psychology and Five Ways to Well-being Program with using three different treatment approaches including psycho-education, life coaching and experiential learning. Each session included well-being concept sharing and well-being activity participation.
Outcome measurements were implemented before and after the program, including Chinese Depression Anxiety Stress Scales 21(Chinese DASS-21), WHO(Five) Well-being Index (WHO-5), Chinese version of the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (C-SWEMWBS), General Happiness Scale (GHS) and Hope Scale (HS). Collected data was analyzed by paired sample t-test and Wilcoxon signed rank test. Qualitative feedback from subjects was also gathered to help interpretation of quantitative measures more comprehensively.
Result & Outcome :
20 subjects with 16 females and 4 males (aged from 20 to 65) were recruited from May 2018 to January 2019. It was found that there was statistically significant improvement in the mean scores of Chinese DASS-21(p=0.00), WHO-5(p=0.001), C-SWEMWBS (p=0.00), GHS (p=0.002) and HS (p=0.002). The Well-being Program is thus effective for mood and well-being enhancement especially in reducing negative emotional states as well as enhancing sense of happiness, mental well-being, subjective quality of life, and hope for the future. From patients’ qualitative feedback, they also expressed a variety of positive outcomes in aspects of personal recovery, psychosocial and daily functioning. To conclude, The Well-being Program is effective to enhance mood and mental well-being of psychiatric outpatients of OTD in KH. They not only feel better after the program but also know how to function well in the community. These are vital elements for successful community integration and walking towards their recovery journey.
