NCJ Number
223241
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 47 Issue: 1/2 Dated: 2008 Pages: 121-137
Date Published
2008
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study examined the durability of the psychosocial benefits of Life Skills programming on persons with mental health/forensic issues.
Abstract
The report found that the immediate psychosocial gains derived from use of the Life Skills program examined in previous work were evidently durable, and provided support for use of Life Skills as an effective treatment with persistent benefits for psychiatric outpatients. Psychosocial adjustment was assessed using the three scales of the Holden Psychological Screening Inventory (HPSI), comparing two groups of patients based on time since completion of the treatment. There were no significant differences between time based groups on the HPSI, but there was a significant gender effect for psychiatric symptoms, with females scoring higher on the scale than males. When current HPSI scores were compared to HPSI scores that were assessed upon completion of Life Skills in a recent pre-post study group on the same clientele, analysis produced no statistically significant differences between followup HPSI scores and posttreatment scores. The study group was comprised of outpatient adults, 28 males, 24 females, with mental health/forensic issues who had completed 16 weeks of Life Skills at a psychiatric outpatient clinic and were reassessed between 6 months and 6 years following treatment. Tables, references