Enhancing outcomes for persons with co-occurring disorders through skills training and peer recovery support

Abstract

Background: “Recovery supports”, often provided by persons in recovery themselves, have emerged over the last decade as important components of recovery-oriented systems of care for persons with substance use disorders.

Aims: This study assesses the benefit of adding peer recovery supports to the care of adults with co-occurring psychosis and substance use.

Method: 137 adults with both disorders who had at least one prior admission within the past year were recruited during an index hospitalization into a randomized trial of standard care vs skills training with and without a peer-led social engagement program. Participants were assessed at admission and at three and nine months post-discharge on symptoms, functioning, substance use, and other factors.

Results: At three months, skills training was effective in reducing alcohol use and symptoms, with the addition of peer-led support resulting in higher levels of relatedness, self-criticism, and outpatient service use. At nine months, skills training was effective in decreasing symptoms and inpatient readmissions and increasing functioning, with the addition of peer support resulting in reduced alcohol use.

Conclusions: Adding peer-led support may increase engagement in care over the short term and reduce substance use over the longer-term for adults with co-occurring disorders.

• Peer support
• recovery support
• recovery capital
• readmission
• co-occurring disorders

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

This research was funded by grant #SM53381 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for L. Davidson, PI.