A randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of the abridged illness management and recovery program for people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of an abridged version of the Illness Management and Recovery Programme (AIMR) that was modified and developed in Hong Kong through a mult-centre randomized controlled trial for patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Methods: This study was implemented in 10 occupational therapy departments, psychiatric day hospitals of 7 Hospital Authority clusters in Hong Kong. A total of 211 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder was recruited and randomized into either the experimental or the control condition.

Validation of the Chinese general self-efficacy scale among individuals with schizophrenia in Hong Kong.

The concept of self-efficacy has recently produced considerable interest among mental illness researchers. Self-efficacy was found to be associated with the number of hospitalizations, social adjustment, rehabilitation outcome, and levels of positive symptoms among individuals with schizophrenia. Given its escalating importance in psychiatric rehabilitation, a scale to assess self-efficacy with established psychometric properties is urgently needed.

The development of supported employment services for people with mental illness: local experience in Hong Kong.

Before the 1960s in Hong Kong, specialized vocational services for people with mental illness were very limited, and sheltered workshop seemed to be the only option for their future vocational placement at that time. As discussed in the literature, there are still many shortcomings of the sheltered workshop model, that brings us to the emergence of another community-based vocational service: Supported Employment. Unlike traditional vocational services, the concept of supported employment emphasizes the placing of the clients into integrated work environments and then providing on-going support and work-related skills training in the job post.

Job profiles of people with severe mental illness: implications for rehabilitation.

Employment history is known to be a consistent predictor of vocational functioning of people with mental illness. A review of the literature, however, shows that studies that describe the employment pattern of those with psychiatric disabilities are limited. This study aimed to explore the employment histories and job profiles of people with severe mental illness in the Special Administrative Region of the Chinese Mainland: Hong Kong.