Understanding Disengagement from Early Psychosis Intervention Services

While the effectiveness of early psychosis interventions (EPI) for young people with first-episode psychosis has been well-established, research suggests that almost one-third of patients disengage from services. Although lack of family involvement and substance use have arisen as consistent factors associated with EPI disengagement, many other factors remain unexplored. Furthermore, few studies have explored patient and family member perspectives on engagement. The proposed study will address this critical gap by investigating factors associated with disengagement from EPI services and eliciting patient- and family-reported facilitators and barriers to engagement. Expected results include the development and implementation of innovative strategies to keep young people engaged in services and an evaluation of these interventions. The CAMH Foundation is committed to supporting cutting-edge research and patient-centered services at CAMH and will benefit from a project that will increase access to CAMHâs EPI services, engage young people in treatment, and improve their potential for recovery. The fellow will lead analysis and knowledge translation efforts, including engaging knowledge users in using the results to develop interventions to improve EPI engagement.

Faculty Supervisor:

Nicole Kozloff

Student:

Alexia Polillo

Partner:

CAMH Foundation

Discipline:

Psychology

Sector:

Other

University:

Program: