22 Chapter 1 coaches received a brief training on the structured intervention Natuurlijk, een netwerkcoach! [Of course, a network coach!], which is based on the TO GROW (goal reality options will) model of coaching and on solution focused (brief) therapy (SFT) (De Shazer et al., 2021; Mezzo, 2015; Whitmore, 2017). This structured intervention is presented as a theoretical guideline for coaches to use if necessary. In addition, throughout the intervention period, supervision for volunteer coaches is organized by De Regenboog Groep. Aim and outline of this dissertation The aim of this research project was to examine whether an additive informal social network intervention could improve treatment outcomes among forensic psychiatric outpatients, to contribute to the development of evidence-based interventions warranted for this population with complex needs, and to guide clinical practice and policy. First, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to gain insight in the existing literature on the effectiveness of social network interventions on treatment outcomes among psychiatric patients. Second, to examine effectiveness of the additive informal social network intervention for forensic psychiatric outpatients, we designed and conducted a randomized controlled trial in clinical practice. Both quantitative and qualitative analytic methods were used to explore effectiveness and to provide an in-depth understanding of the effects, respectively. Lastly, given the extraordinary situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic that crossed our research project, an additional mixed methods study was conducted to explore the effects of the restrictions on social relationships of forensic outpatients participating in the clinical trial. The studies that were conducted are presented in the following chapters of this dissertation. Chapter 2 presents the findings regarding the effectiveness of social network interventions on social network outcomes and other treatment outcomes in psychiatric populations. Furthermore, the potential moderators of treatment effectiveness, such as intervention and patient characteristics, were explored. We hypothesized that social network and mental health outcomes would improve more in psychiatric patients receiving social network interventions compared to treatment as usual in mental healthcare settings. Chapter 3 outlines the study protocol of the randomized controlled trial, detailing the methods, such as the additive informal social network intervention – forensic network coaching, patient population, and procedures. We hypothesized that the addition of an informal social network intervention to treatment as usual would improve effectiveness
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