Effects of an eating club for people with a psychotic disorder on personal recovery: Results of a randomized controlled trial

Background and objectives: Many people with a psychotic disorder are coping with severe psychosocial limitations related to their illness. The current randomized controlled trial (RCT) investigates the effects of an eating club intervention (HospitalitY (HY)) aimed to improve personal and societal recovery.Methods: In 15 biweekly sessions participants received individual home-based skill training and guided peer support sessions in groups of three participants from a trained nurse. A multi-center RCT was conducted (intended sample size: n = 84; n = 7 per block) in patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum receiving community treatment. HospitalitY was compared to a Waiting List Control (WLC) condition at three time points (baseline, end-of-treatment (8 months) and follow-up (12 months)) using personal recovery as primary outcome and loneliness, social support, self-stigma, self-esteem, social skills, (social) functioning, independency competence, and psychopathology as secondary outcomes. Outcomes were evaluated with a mixed modeling statistical procedure.Results: The HY-intervention had no significant effects on personal recovery or secondary outcomes. More attendance was associated with higher scores on social functioning. Limitations: With N = 43 participants included, power was insufficient. Seven HY-groups were started, from which three discontinued before the sixth meeting, one HY group stopped due the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.Conclusions: Despite a promising pilot study on feasibility, the current RCT did not show any effects of the HY intervention. A mixed qualitative-quantitative research methods might be more appropriate for researching the HospitalitY-intervention to investigate what social and cognitive processes are at play in this peer guided social intervention.

Automated summary

This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of an eating club intervention on personal and societal recovery in patients with a psychotic disorder. The intervention did not show any significant effects on personal recovery or secondary outcomes, but higher attendance was associated with better social functioning scores.