An observational study in Severe Mental Illness and Mental Vulnerabilities, sponsored by Tilburg University. Completed at 4 sites in Netherlands. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-08-13.
Sponsored by Tilburg University · Observational
Recovery colleges (RC) aim to promote the recovery of people who experience mental vulnerabilities. Rather than facilitating treatment of illness (as regular mental health care services [MHCS] do), RCs are learning environments, with a special focus on peer support and co-creation. While MHCS are founded on scientific and professional knowledge, RCs value the knowledge and abilities of those with lived experiences as such. By sharing experiences, RC attendees can inspire and support each other (hence 'peer support') and they can use their experiences to contribute to the educational program (hence 'co-creation'). In the Netherlands RCs are 100% peer run, meaning that no mental health care workers are involved.
Despite promising premature findings on the effectiveness of RC attendance (e.g., positive impacts on MHCS use, mental wellbeing and functioning, quality of life, empowerment and more), large, controlled studies are extremely scarce. Furthermore, the way RCs are managed in the Netherlands seems to differ from the RCs that have been studied before. While RCs in some countries are a coproduction of peers and mental health practitioners, RCs in the Netherlands are 100% peer run, although they are usually hosted by MHCS. In turn, this research project aims to investigate the (cost-)effectiveness of RCs in the Netherlands. In terms of effectiveness, we expect that RC attendance improves feelings of empowerment. Besides, we investigate impacts on quality of life, mental health, loneliness, satisfaction with treatment and support and self-stigma. We also determine the cost-effectiveness of Dutch RCs.
This quantitative study is part of a larger research project that entails qualitative analysis of:
The research project is executed in close collaboration with co-researchers who are partakers of Enik RC. The findings of the pre-registered quantitative study will be evaluated and contextualized in co-creation as such.
NOTE: The Observational Study Model is both Cohort (monitoring for a period of 2 years) and Case-Control (comparing RC partakers with non-partakers).
NOTE: Enik Recovery College has 7 established locations in the region of Utrecht at the time of our recruitment. All are included.
NOTE: Fameus has 4 established locations (Breda 2x, Tilburg, Roosendaal). All are included.
NOTE: This study is conducted both by Tilburg University (Department Tranzo) and Trimbos-institute (Department of Reintegration and Community Care) as primary organizations. The PI is also affiliated with both.
NOTE. The aimed sample size at t0 is N=120 in the RC condition. So 120 partakers of RCs will be matched with members from the PPG.
1,740 studies on the registry are indexed under Mental Disorders; 348 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 142 is below the median of 220 across 389 observational studies indexed under Mental Disorders.
Browse Mental Disorders studies →Tilburg University is the lead sponsor of 27 studies on the registry; 7 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
RC population (RC Group): Partakers in any way from these four Recovery Colleges: Enik Recovery College, Fameus, Korak, Herstelacademie Haarlem en Meer.
PPG population (Control Group): National panel for which participants are recruited via mental health care facilities and Regional Institutes for Protected Living (RIPLs).
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Recovery College partakers in any way (see description of intervention).
Behavioral: Recovery College participation
Participants with similar mental health profile as RC group, but do not participate in an RC. These participants are sampled from the Panel Psychisch Gezien (PPG), monitored by the Trimbos-institute.
Recovery College participation in any way (visitors, course/retreat participants, volunteers, employees).
Change in Empowerment
Operationalized by means of four subscales (Confidence and Purpose, Connectedness, Self-management and Professional help) of the Netherlands Empowerment List. Source: Boevink, W., Kroon, H., Delespaul, P., \& Van Os, J. (2016). Empowerment according to persons with severe mental illness: development of the Netherlands empowerment list and its psychometric properties. Open Journal of Psychiatry, 7(1), 18-30. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ojpsych.2017.71002
Time frame: t0 = baseline, t1= 1 year later, t2 = 2 years later.
Change in Quality of Life (effectiveness)
Operationalized by means of the Maastricht QoL Scale. Source: Drukker, M., Bak, M., à Campo, J., Driessen, G., Van Os, J., \& Delespaul, P. (2010). The cumulative needs for care monitor: a unique monitoring system in the south of the Netherlands. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 45(4), 475-485. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00127-009-0088-3.pdf
Time frame: t0 = baseline, t1= 1 year later, t2 = 2 years later.
Change in Mental Health (effectiveness)
Operationalized by means of the MHI-5 scale. Source: Rumpf, H. J., Meyer, C., Hapke, U., \& John, U. (2001). Screening for mental health: validity of the MHI-5 using DSM-IV Axis I psychiatric disorders as gold standard. Psychiatry research, 105(3), 243-253. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-1781(01)00329-8
Time frame: t0 = baseline, t1= 1 year later, t2 = 2 years later.
Change in Loneliness (effectiveness)
Operationalized by means of the DeJong Gierveld Loneliness Scale. Source: De Jong-Gierveld, J., \& Van Tilburg, T. (1990). Manual of the loneliness scale. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Vrije Universiteit.
Time frame: t0 = baseline, t1= 1 year later, t2 = 2 years later.
Change in Satisfaction with Treatment and Support (effectiveness)
Operationalized by means of an inventory adapted from Nivel. Source: Menting, J. De Zorgmonitor - Nationaal Panel Chronisch zieken en Gehandicapten. Uit: www.nivel.nl \[Laatst gewijzigd op 18-03-2021; geraadpleegd op 30-08-2022\]. URL: https://www.nivel.nl/nl/nationaal-panel-chronisch-zieken-en-gehandicapten/de-zorgmonitor
Time frame: t0 = baseline, t1= 1 year later, t2 = 2 years later.
Change in Self-stigma (effectiveness)
Operationalized by means of the ISMI-10 scale. Source: Boyd, J. E., Otilingam, P. G., \& DeForge, B. R. (2014). Brief version of the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) scale: Psychometric properties and relationship to depression, self esteem, recovery orientation, empowerment, and perceived devaluation and discrimination. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 37(1), 17-23. https://doi.org/10.1037/prj0000035
Time frame: t0 = baseline, t1= 1 year later, t2 = 2 years later.
Change Health Care and Services Use (cost-effectiveness)
Use of health care facilities (e.g., GP, mental health care facilities, psychiatric hospital), services use (e.g., municipality services) and medication, to be transformed into economic costs by the use of the iMTA costing tool. Source: Kanters TA, Bouwmans CAM, Van der Linden N, Tan SS, Hakkaart-van Roijen L. Update of the Dutch manual for costing studies in health care. Plos One.
Time frame: t0 = baseline, t1= 0.5 year later, t2 = 1 year later, t3 = 1.5 years later, t4 = 2 years later.
Change in Health Status (cost-effectiveness)
Operationalized by means of the EQ-5D. Source: Rabin, R., \& Charro, F. D. (2001). EQ-SD: a measure of health status from the EuroQol Group. Annals of medicine, 33(5), 337-343. https://doi.org/10.3109/07853890109002087
Time frame: t0 = baseline, t1= 0.5 year later, t2 = 1 year later, t3 = 1.5 years later, t4 = 2 years later.
Change in Employment Status (cost-effectiveness)
Whether or not the participant has paid employment or a volunteering job.
Time frame: t0 = baseline, t1= 0.5 year later, t2 = 1 year later, t3 = 1.5 years later, t4 = 2 years later.
Change in Absenteeism and Presenteeism (cost-effectiveness)
The amount of working days participants were ill and could not work (absenteeism), and the amount of working days participants were ill but still went to work (presenteeism). Regarding presenteeism we inquire about the % of work done as compared to an average working day. This will be transformed into costs.
Time frame: t0 = baseline, t1= 0.5 year later, t2 = 1 year later, t3 = 1.5 years later, t4 = 2 years later.
Change in Providing and Receiving Informal Care (cost-effectiveness)
Questions whether participant provides informal care (and if so, how many hours per week) and whether participant receives informal care from e.g., family or friends (and if so, how many hours per week). This will be transformed into costs.
Time frame: t0 = baseline, t1= 0.5 year later, t2 = 1 year later, t3 = 1.5 years later, t4 = 2 years later.
Plan to share: Yes
Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan
Time frame: Upon request.
Access criteria: PI reviews requests.
Ran from Mar 2022 to primary completion in Jan 2025, 34 months.
Of 149 non-industry observational studies under Mental Disorders, half reached primary completion within 37 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 12 and three quarters within 77. This study's 34 months is close to that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 156 studies reached it within 37 months; a quarter within 13 and three quarters within 77.
Mental Disorders covers many different conditions, not one, so the studies compared here vary widely. Read these figures as a rough guide.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is completed, as verified in Apr 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Tilburg University