Assessment of the Long-Term Benefits of Life Skills Programming on Psychosocial Adjustment

The durability of the psychosocial benefits of Life Skills programming on outpatient adults with mental health/forensic issues was examined. Participants were 52 adults (28 males, 24 females) who completed 16 weeks of Life Skills at a psychiatric outpatient clinic and were re-assessed between six months and six years following treatment. Psychosocial adjustment was assessed using the three scales of the Holden Psychological Screening Inventory (HPSI). Two groups of participants were compared, based on time since completion of treatment. There were no significant differences between time-based groups on the HPSI, but there was a significant gender effect for psychiatric symptoms, with females scoring higher on this scale than males (p =.028). When current HPSI scores were compared to HPSI scores that were assessed upon completion of Life Skills in a recent pre-post study on the same clientele (Reddon, Hoglin, & Woodman, 2008), analyses produced no statistically significant differences between follow-up HPSI scores and the post-treatment scores. The immediate psychosocial gains reported by Reddon et al. (2008) are evidently durable. The results of this study provide support for Life Skills as an effective treatment with persistent benefits for psychiatric outpatients.