Predictors of Perceived Social Effectiveness of Individuals With Serious Mental Illness

Objective: Social effectiveness continues to play a critical role in recovery of people with serious mental illness (SMI), with greater social effectiveness predicting many positive life outcomes. Despite the abundance of literature supporting the relationship between perceptions and behavior, little is known about predictors of perceived social effectiveness of individuals with SMI. Methods: The purpose of this study is to examine the predictors of perceived social effectiveness of individuals with SMI. Cross-sectional data of 192 participants with SMI recruited from four psychiatric rehabilitation clubhouses in 2 states in the South and Midwest regions of the United States were used for this study. Self-report data on category of psychiatric disabilities, psychiatric symptoms, cognition, insight, educational attainment, empathy, interpersonal interactions and relationships, self-stigma, disability acceptance, and perceived social effectiveness were collected and analyzed using multiple regression analysis (MRA). Results: MRA yielded a regression model that accounted for 56% of the variance in perceived social effectiveness, which is considered a large effect size. Controlling for all other factors, mood disorder, educational attainment, empathy, interpersonal interactions and relationships, and disability acceptance were found to be significant predictors of perceived social effectiveness of persons with SMI. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Practitioners should consider determining points of intervention and targeting specific elements that enhance perceived social effectiveness. Impact and Implications This study extends previous research by considering internal perceptions of disability known to influence the disability experience (i.e., disability acceptance and self-stigma) in addition to the more common factors used to predict social effectiveness (i.e., category of psychiatric disability, psychiatric symptoms, cognition, insight, educational attainment, empathy, and interpersonal interactions and relationships). Results demonstrate that the positive predictor variables explored (i.e., educational attainment, empathy, interpersonal interactions and relationships, and acceptance of disability), along with category of psychiatric disability, predicted perceived social effectiveness among adults with SMI at a rate of 56% (a large effect size). Based on the results of the current study, practitioners should consider employing strategies to in