Is the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) efficacious for improving personal and clinical recovery outcomes? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Canacott, Louise Tickle, Anna C.
Canacott, Louise
Tickle, Anna C.
Abstract
Objective: The Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) is a structured approach to illness self-management that is widely used within mental health services. This systematic review identifies, appraises, and meta-analyzes quantitative evidence from experimental or quasi-experimental comparison group designs for effects of WRAP on measures reflecting personal recovery and clinical symptomatology. Method: A systematic strategy was used to search 6 electronic reference databases (Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, The Cochrane Library) using full-text, keywords, and Medical Subject Headings (MeSh)/Thesaurus headings terms. Unpublished research was identified using the same strategy in the EThOS database. Controlled trials of WRAP were selected and assessed for quality. Meta-analyses were applied to quantitative data to establish the effects of WRAP on outcomes of interest. Results: Of 253 studies initially identified, 5 quantitative studies (reported in 6 papers) reporting controlled trials were included in the review. Meta-analyses revealed that, relative to inactive control conditions, WRAP was (a) superior for promoting self-perceived recovery outcomes (demonstrating a small-but-significant pooled effect), but (b) not superior for reducing clinical symptomatology—although restriction to randomized-controlled trials revealed 1 small effect favoring WRAP for reducing depression. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Participation in WRAP has positive outcomes for participants, quantifiable using comprehensive measures of self-perceived recovery. Improvements were not sustained over time. Future research could explore this, as well as potential effects of follow-up WRAP sessions. The results support a move to broader measurement of outcomes within mental health, away from a reliance on clinical outcome measures. Recommendations for further research are made. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)
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2019
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Canacott, L., Moghaddam, N. & Tickle, A. C. (2019). Is the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) efficacious for improving personal and clinical recovery outcomes? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 42 (4), pp.372-381.