The effectiveness of Individual Placement and Support on vocational outcomes for patients with substance use disorders: A pragmatic superiority randomized controlled trial of Individual Placement and Support versus enhanced self-help.

Background And Aim: Unemployment rates among individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) are high, and evidence-based vocational methods are lacking. Employment is important because it improves treatment outcomes and protects against relapse. Individual Placement and Support (IPS) has proven effective in helping patients with psychosis obtain competitive employment.

An exploratory study of the relevance of therapy format and therapist' training in individual cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis.

Introduction: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis (CBTp) is an evidence-based intervention that can be delivered in various formats, including as part of vocational rehabilitation. However, due to scarcity of resources, CBTp is currently accessible to only a minority of individuals with psychosis. This secondary analysis aims to explore potential differences in clinical outcomes between distinct CBTp formats and to examine whether therapist training influences treatment effect.

Exploring Stakeholders' Perceptions of Using Digital Health Technologies to Improve the Conservative Treatment of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: Qualitative Study.

Background: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) affects 2%-3% of adolescents, with conservative treatments like bracing and physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercises (PSSEs) recommended for mild to moderate cases. However, patient compliance with these treatments is often low. Digital tools, including smartphone apps and web applications, offer capabilities such as spinal curvature monitoring, remote consultation, and reduction of health care professionals' workload.

Trajectories of posttraumatic stress in military peacekeepers: A longitudinal analysis over 23 years.

Objective: This study investigated trajectories of posttraumatic stress in Norwegian peacekeepers over a 23-year period, focusing on the prevalence and characteristics of late-onset posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), where symptoms develop or intensify long after deployment.

Method: We analyzed PTSD symptoms in 463 Norwegian peacekeepers who had deployed to Lebanon as part of the UN peacekeeping mission, UN Interim Force in Lebanon. PTSD symptoms were assessed using the Posttraumatic Symptom Scale-10 at two time points: a median of 7 years (T1) and 29 years (T2) postdeployment.

Measuring the concurrent validity of the norwegian versions of the psychotic symptom rating scales (PSYRATS) and the positive scale from the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS).

Purpose: The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) is one of the most commonly used assessment tools for measuring psychotic symptoms. The Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS) is another instrument created specifically to assess delusions and auditory hallucinations. However, research on the concurrent validity of PSYRATS with PANSS is limited.

COPSYC-19: The impact of early phase lockdown on mental health among people with psychotic disorders.

Purpose: On March 12th 2020 extensive measures were implemented to prevent spread of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). These measures were commonly referred to as "lockdown". In this study we investigate the psychological impact associated with living under these circumstances among patients with psychotic disorders receiving care from specialized mental health services in Norway.

Lockdown during the early phase of Covid-19 - effects on specialized mental health services and vocational activities for patients with psychotic disorders.

Purpose: People with psychotic disorders may be particularly vulnerable to adverse effects from restrictions implemented to limit the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health professionals may also be at risk of adverse effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of potential changes in accessibility, quality of care and vocational activity on people with psychotic disorders and the impact on clinicians working in these conditions.

Vocational rehabilitation augmented with cognitive behavioral therapy or cognitive remediation for individuals with schizophrenia: a 5-year follow-up study.

Introduction: Although employment is an important part of recovery for individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, the employment rate for this group remains low. Increasing evidence supports the use of augmented vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs to improve occupational outcome. The aim of this study is to explore 5-year follow-up registry data from the JUMP study, a VR program for individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, specifically with regard to competitive employment outcome and predictors of competitive employment.

The effect evaluation of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) for patients with substance use disorders: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of IPS versus enhanced self-help.

Background: Employment is associated with better outcomes of substance use treatment and protects against relapse after treatment completion. Unemployment rates are high for people with substance use disorders (SUD) who undergo treatment, with Norwegian estimates ranging from 81 to 91%. Evidence-based vocational models are lacking for patients in SUD treatment but exist for patients with psychosis in terms of Individual Placement and Support (IPS).

G-estimation of causal pathways in vocational rehabilitation for adults with psychotic disorders - a secondary analysis of a randomized trial.

Background: Vocational rehabilitation (VR) has increasingly become an important intervention targeting poor occupational functioning in schizophrenia. The Norwegian Job Management Program (JUMP), sought to enhance occupational outcomes by augmenting VR with either cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques aiming to improve psychotic symptoms or cognitive remediation (CR) aiming to improve cognition. CBT is standard treatment in schizophrenia, but recent meta-analyses question the effect of CBT on negative psychotic symptoms.

Caring for Coronavirus Healthcare Workers: Lessons Learned From Long-Term Monitoring of Military Peacekeepers.

Background: The current outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is of unprecedented proportions in several regards. Recent reports suggest that many frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) suffer from mental health problems, including posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Previous studies have identified several key factors associated with short-term PTSS in pandemic HCWs, yet limited data is available on factors associated with long-term PTSS.

Prevalence and Correlates of Mental Health Problems in Norwegian Peacekeepers 18-38 Years Postdeployment.

Peacekeeping missions involve experiences that may impact the mental health of participating soldiers. However, research on the long-term mental health consequences of peacekeeping is sparse. The present study aimed to find the prevalence of mental health problems (MHPs), possible MHP predictors, and associations between predictors and MHPs in Norwegian peacekeepers 18-38 years after deployment to a United Nations peacekeeping mission.

Exploring the potential cost-effectiveness of a vocational rehabilitation program for individuals with schizophrenia in a high-income welfare society.

Background: Over the past decades research has shown that employment has a positive impact on quality of life, global functioning and recovery in individuals with schizophrenia. However, access to vocational rehabilitation services for this group is limited and unemployment rates remain high. In this study we explore the potential cost-effectiveness of a novel vocational rehabilitation program (The Job Management Program - JUMP) earmarked for individuals with schizophrenia in Norway.

A short history of individual placement and support in Norway.

Objective: Norway is a high-income and high-cost society with a generous welfare system, and it has the largest mental health-related unemployment gap of the OECD countries. The aim of the current article was to present a short history of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) services to increase work participation in Norway.

Method: We provide a narrative overview of the developments and research on IPS in Norway, from the introduction of supported employment to recent and ongoing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effectiveness of IPS for various target groups.

Vocational rehabilitation for adults with psychotic disorders in a Scandinavian welfare society.

Background: This study examined the outcomes of a vocational rehabilitation program (The Job Management Program, JUMP) for persons with psychotic disorders based on close collaboration between health and welfare services.

Methods: Participants (N = 148) with broad schizophrenia spectrum disorders (age 18-65) were recruited from six counties in Norway. Three counties were randomized to vocational rehabilitation augmented with cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), while the remaining three counties were randomized to vocational rehabilitation augmented with cognitive remediation (CR).

Cognitive remediation and occupational outcome in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: A 2year follow-up study.

Neurocognitive impairment is prominent in schizophrenia and a significant predictor of poor occupational outcomes. Vocational rehabilitation (VR) is frequently implemented to counteract high unemployment rates. Individuals with schizophrenia however face numerous challenges such as neurocognitive impairments and psychotic symptoms.

An exploration of metacognitive beliefs and thought control strategies in bipolar disorder.

Background: Metacognitive factors influence depression, but are largely unexplored in bipolar disorders. We examined i) differences in metacognitive beliefs and thought control strategies between individuals with bipolar disorder and controls, and ii) to what extent clinical characteristics were related to levels of metacognitive beliefs and thought control strategies in bipolar disorder.

Method: Eighty patients with bipolar disorder were assessed for age at onset of affective disorder, number of affective episodes, symptoms of mania and depression, metacognitive beliefs (MCQ-30) and thought control strategies (TCQ).

Employment outcome and predictors of competitive employment at 2-year follow-up of a vocational rehabilitation programme for individuals with schizophrenia in a high-income welfare society.

Background: Employment is an important part of recovery for individuals with schizophrenia. The employment rate for this group is as low as 10% in Norway, and major system related barriers to employment are evident.

Aims: This study reports the competitive employment outcome at 2-year follow-up of a vocational rehabilitation study augmented with cognitive remediation (CR) or elements from cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Vocational Functioning in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: Does Apathy Matter?

While the influence of negative symptoms on vocational outcome is well documented, the specific contribution of apathy is less explored. The current study examined the influence of apathy on vocational outcome. A total of 148 participants were included in a vocational rehabilitation study, offering cognitive remediation (CR) or cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) to address work-related issues.

Neurocognition and occupational functioning in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) and workplace assessments.

The MCCB is widely used in clinical trials of schizophrenia, but its relationship to occupational functioning still needs further elaboration. While previous research has indicated that various domains of neurocognition assessed by individual tests are related to work functioning, these reports preceded the development of the MCCB as the standard neurocognitive test battery in the field. In the current study, the vocational functioning of 131 Norwegian participants with schizophrenia spectrum disorders who were enrolled in a vocational rehabilitation program were assessed on the Vocational Cognitive Rating Scale (VCRS), the Work Behavior Inventory (WBI), and the Complexity Scale (CS) as well as on the MCCB.

Prevalence, Employment Rate, and Cost of Schizophrenia in a High-Income Welfare Society: A Population-Based Study Using Comprehensive Health and Welfare Registers.

Schizophrenia is associated with recurrent hospitalizations, need for long-term community support, poor social functioning, and low employment rates. Despite the wide- ranging financial and social burdens associated with the illness, there is great uncertainty regarding prevalence, employment rates, and the societal costs of schizophrenia. The current study investigates 12-month prevalence of patients treated for schizophrenia, employment rates, and cost of schizophrenia using a population-based top-down approach.

The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB): performance and functional correlates.

Neurocognitive impairment is a core feature in psychotic disorders and the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) is now widely used to assess neurocognition in this group. The MATRICS has been translated into several languages, including Norwegian; although this version has yet to be investigated in an adult clinical population. Further, the relationship between the MATRICS and different measures of functioning needs examination.