A systematic review of the effectiveness of the clubhouse model.

Abstract

The aim of the article is to synthesize studies that investigate the effectiveness of clubhouses, to summarize the strength of the evidence for this model, and to discuss methodological issues in the research. We collected 216 studies referencing clubhouses in the principal international scientific databases (PsycINFO, Psycarticles, Academic Search Premier, Medline, PubMed, and Science Direct). We then selected 77 studies that used experimental (randomized controlled trial) or quasi-experimental designs (with control group, without randomization and/or pre-post studies). As part of the 77 selected studies, we focused on 15 studies that specifically addressed the effectiveness of clubhouses. There are few studies on the effectiveness of clubhouses, and the existing studies, because of their methodological design, allow us to affirm only moderate (quality of life, employment, rate of hospitalization) or low (symptomatology, social functioning) levels of evidence for the effectiveness of clubhouses. Most studies are limited by a lack of randomization, absence of a comparison group, or absence of a longitudinal design. Furthermore, the diversity of methodologies used makes a comparison of the results difficult. We offer several recommendations for future research to build the evidence base regarding this model and enhance comparability of studies. (PsycINFO Database Record