Reading and recovery expectations: Implementing a recovery-oriented bibliotherapy program in an acute inpatient psychiatric setting.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the feasibility and acceptability of developing a recovery-oriented book club in an acute inpatient psychiatric setting, and the impact of participation on measures of hope and recovery orientation.

METHOD: Participants were recruited from an inpatient psychiatric hospital and assigned to control ( N = 13) or experimental ( N = 13) conditions. Participants completed the Herth Hope Index (HHI) and the Mental Health Confidence Scale (MHCS) at baseline and follow-up. Book club participants completed a satisfaction survey. ANOVA was performed to examine changes on HHI and MHCS.

RESULTS: No significant differences were found between conditions on HHI or MHCS. On the satisfaction survey, most book club participants agreed "somewhat" or "strongly" that the intervention increased self-understanding (92.3%) and hope (61.6%).

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Book club groups may help individuals in inpatient psychiatric settings feel more hopeful. Future research may examine the adaptability of this intervention for outpatient settings. (PsycINFO Database Record