NCT05562674

Impact of VVV Group for Veterans With SMI

Impact of Veteran Voices & Visions Peer Support Groups on Social Integration for Veterans With SMI/Psychosis

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 38 (actual)
• Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development · Federal
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Veterans with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) struggle with social integration - participation in work, housing, and citizenship - due to symptoms, stigma, and psychosocial challenges. Despite considerable VA efforts to provide mental health care to Veterans with SMI, programs that promote social integration are lacking. Veterans with SMI are at especially high risk for poor social integration and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This project addresses this need with a group-based, peer specialist (PS) co-facilitated psychosocial intervention for Veterans with SMI, called "Veteran Voices and Visions" (VVV). VVV targets Veterans with SMI who experience psychosis, a group particularly in need of support with social integration. Virtual VVV groups are co-led by VA mental health clinicians (MHCs) and PSs via online video conference. The approach facilitates group cohesion around and normalization of the common psychotic symptoms of SMI: hallucinations, delusions, and social isolation. This intervention has the potential to create and foster a supportive community that improves the social integration of participants by reducing their distress and self-stigma, and increasing self-efficacy.

Conditions

• Psychotic Disorders
• Veterans

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Support group	This is a group-based, peer specialist and clinician co-facilitated psychosocial intervention for Veterans with SMI, called "Veteran Voices and Visions" (VVV). VVV is an adaptation of a community-based support group model called the Hearing Voices (HV) approach. The approach facilitates group cohesion around and normalization of the common psychotic symptoms of SMI: hallucinations, delusions, and social isolation.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-03-18
• Primary completion: 2025-03-01
• Completion: 2025-03-01
• First posted: 2022-10-03
• Last updated: 2025-03-26

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States