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Objective: Recovery Colleges are widespread, with little empirical research on their key components. This study aimed to characterize key components of Recovery Colleges and to develop and evaluate a developmental checklist and a quantitative fidelity measure.Methods: Key components were identified through a systematized literature review, international expert consultation (n = 77), and semistructured interviews with Recovery College managers across England (n = 10). A checklist was developed and refined through semistructured interviews with Recovery College students, trainers, and managers (n = 44) in 3 sites. A fidelity measure was adapted from the checklist and evaluated with Recovery College managers (n = 39, 52%), clinicians providing psychoeducational courses (n = 11), and adult education lecturers (n = 10).Results: Twelve components were identified, comprising 7 nonmodifiable components (Valuing Equality, Learning, Tailored to the Student, Coproduction of the Recovery College, Social Connectedness, Community Focus, and Commitment to Recovery) and 5 modifiable components (Available to All, Location, Distinctiveness of Course Content, Strengths Based, and Progressive). The checklist has service user student, peer trainer, and manager versions. The fidelity measure meets scaling assumptions and demonstrates adequate internal consistency (0.72), test-retest reliability (0.60), content validity, and discriminant validity.Conclusions: Coproduction and an orientation to adult learning should be the highest priority in developing Recovery Colleges. The creation of the first theory-based empirically evaluated developmental checklist and fidelity measure (both downloadable at researchintorecovery.com/recollect ) for Recovery Colleges will help service users understand what Recovery Colleges offer, will inform decision making by clinicians and commissioners about Recovery Colleges, and will enable formal evaluation of their impact on students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recovery Colleges offer educational courses about recovery and mental health which are co-produced by mental health professionals and experts by lived experience. Previous evaluations have found positive effects of Recovery Colleges on a range of outcomes including wellbeing, recovery and quality of life. Aims: To evaluate service use outcomes for Sussex Recovery College students who use mental health services. Method: The study used a controlled-before-and-after design. It used archival data to analyse service use before and after participants registered with the Recovery College (n = 463). Participants acted as their own control. Results: Students used mental health services less after attending the Recovery College than before. Students who attended the Recovery College showed significant reductions in occupied hospital bed days, admissions, admissions under section and community contacts in the 18 months post compared with the 18 months before registering. Reductions in service use were greater for those who completed a course than those who registered but did not complete a course. Conclusion: These findings suggest that attending Recovery College courses is associated with reduced service use. The reductions equate to non-cashable cost-savings of £1200 per registered student and £1760 for students who completed a course. Further research is needed to investigate causality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous research suggests that the distress experienced by clinical voice hearers is associated with the perceived relationship between voice and hearer, independent of beliefs about voices and depression. Aims: This study aimed to replicate these findings and generate further hypotheses by comparing the voice hearing experiences of clinical and non-clinical hearers. Method: A cross-sectional, quantitative design was employed and used between-subjects and correlational methods. Thirty-two clinical voice hearers and 18 non-clinical voice hearers were assessed using the PSYRATS, the Voice and You questionnaire, the Beliefs About Voices Questionnaire - Revised, and the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Results: For clinical voice hearers, distress was significantly associated with perceptions of the voice as dominating and intrusive, and hearers distancing themselves from the voice. However, these associations were not independent of beliefs about voices' omnipotence or malevolence. Non-clinical voice hearers were significantly less distressed than clinical voice hearers and voices were perceived as less dominant, intrusive, malevolent and omnipotent. Non-clinical hearers were found to relate from a position of less distance to voices perceived as benevolent. Conclusions: Findings from previous research were only partially replicated. Clinically, the development of less maladaptive relationships between voice and voice hearer may reduce distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The attitudes, attributions and preferred management strategies of 59 workers in direct access hostels for homeless people were examined in relation to a hypothetical vignette of a violent incident. Half the participants were told that the man described had schizophrenia. Staff reported internal temporary, internal enduring and external attributions for the incident. They made fewer internal enduring attributions about the violent behaviour of a homeless person with schizophrenia than without, otherwise they made quite similar attributions. Staff rated psychiatric strategies as more useful in managing the behaviour of a person with schizophrenia. External attributions, positive attitudes and talking/caring management strategies were associated. Clinical implications of the study are discussed. Staff training and integrated multi-agency approaches to working with people who are homeless and experience mental health problems are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]