Predictors of the impact of rights- and recovery-oriented training for mental health professionals

Abstract

Objective: This study examines the factors influencing the effectiveness of a rights- and recovery-based training program for mental health professionals. Methods: From an initial pool of 643 professionals providing informed consent, 218 (33.9%) attended the training activity and completed the first follow-up assessment. Effectiveness was evaluated using a scale measuring beliefs and attitudes toward service users. Potential predictors included gender, age, experience, ideological orientation, education, profession type, personal or close experience with mental distress, and training satisfaction. Results: Interactions showed that profession type and personal experience moderated changes in coercion, with social professionals showing a sharper initial reduction that stabilized, clinical professionals a slower but more continuous decrease, and those without personal experience demonstrating greater overall reductions. Ideology moderated changes in paternalism, with left-leaning professionals showing a consistent decline and right-leaning professionals an initial decrease followed by an increase. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: These findings highlight the training’s broad impact on beliefs and attitudes and the role of key professional characteristics in shaping specific outcomes, suggesting strategies for tailoring recovery-oriented education to diverse professional profiles. Further research should refine study designs, improve assessment tools, and explore behavioral outcomes to deepen our understanding of the mechanisms underlying training effectiveness.