Benefits and experiences of a novel social coaching intervention for people with psychosis

Introduction: People with psychosis tend to be socially isolated and have fewer social contacts than people in the general population, as well as others with long-term mental health conditions. This in turn, has been associated with poor health outcomes, including frequent hospitalisation, and low quality of life. There is evidence to suggest that coaching people to increase their social contacts, may help to harness this resource and improve outcomes for this group.



Method: A novel social coaching intervention called SCENE was developed based on the literature and through stakeholder involvement. The clinical and cost-effectiveness of SCENE is being assessed in a randomised controlled trial, compared with an active control condition, where participants are given a booklet with information about local social activities. The primary outcome is quality of life at the end of the intervention (EOI), and we also consider symptoms, loneliness, social situation and time spent in social activities at EOI, 6 months and one-year follow-up.



Results: The resulting intervention draws from principles of motivational interviewing, solution focused therapy and structured information giving, and can be delivered flexibly by a number of different health professionals. Overall, 577 participants with psychosis took part in the trial across urban, semi-urban and rural sites in England. The follow-up rate at EOI is 76% which will allow us to establish the clinical effectiveness of social coaching for this population. 



Discussion: As well as the quantitative findings from the trial, we will present experiences of receiving and delivering the intervention gathered in the qualitative process evaluation. We will also reflect on the challenges of delivering a large multi-site trial to increase social contact in the period spanning the Covid-19 pandemic; a time when this was largely discouraged.