(PS10-67) Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center: Outcome Evaluation Across Treatment Delivery Method at the VA

Abstract Text: As the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a shift towards teletherapy, the present study seeks to evaluate the comparative efficacy of treatment delivered via telehealth within the context of the Brooklyn VA Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC), an intensive, recovery-oriented outpatient program for Veterans with serious mental illness (SMI). The existing literature has suggested promising outcomes for telehealth as an alternative to in-person treatment at less intensive levels of mental health care (Rosen et al., 2021). However, the efficacy of these modalities within intensive outpatient (IOP) and partial hospitalization programs (PHP), such as PRRCs, has received little research attention.

In an effort to address the gaps in longitudinal research on telehealth efficacy and change in stigma and wellbeing at higher levels of care, this study will employ a retrospective chart review to assess changes in internalized stigma and wellbeing among Veterans engaged in PRRC treatment, by analyzing previously collected quantitative data via chart review from 2017 to present within the Brooklyn PRRC. The study aims to establish whether treatment delivery method (ranging from entirely virtual to hybrid to entirely in-person) appears to influence changes in self-reported internalized stigma and wellbeing in Veterans who completed at least 3 months of treatment. By analyzing changes in self-reported internalized stigma, measured using the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Inventory (ISMI-29), and changes in self-reported wellbeing, measured using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale Short Version (SWEMWBS), this study aims to examine whether the relationship between treatment delivery method and change in wellbeing appears to be mediated by change in internalized stigma over the course of treatment; a simultaneous multiple regression will be conducted to assess the relationship between these variables. 

By employing a comprehensive longitudinal analysis of treatment outcomes for Veterans within the Brooklyn VA PRRC, this study seeks to advance our understanding of the complex interplay between treatment delivery method and outcomes. Ultimately, the findings have the potential to inform the development of more effective interventions tailored to the unique needs of Veterans with SMI. We hope to add to the existing literature on the efficacy of recovery-oriented psychosocial IOPs and PHPs delivered in-person and virtually by offering a meaningful, large-scale, longitudinal analysis of Veterans’ experiences throughout PRRC treatment.