Community Participation Differences Between Adults With or Without Serious Mental Illness

Objective: This study aimed to clarify the extent of community participation by individuals with serious mental illnesses in comparison with the general population. Methods: Participants with serious mental illnesses (N=300) were recruited from 21 outpatient mental health organizations throughout the United States, and the participants without serious mental illnesses (N=300) were recruited from a stratified sample from across the United States. All participants completed the Temple University Community Participation Measure. Results: The groups differed in community participation amount, number of important areas, breadth, and sufficiency of community participation. Differences between groups in amount of participation were not evident after analyses controlled for income and car ownership. However, differences in number of important areas, breadth of participation, and sufficiency remained after analyses controlled for demographic and economic factors. Conclusions: Car ownership and income are important factors in amount of community participation, but differences in other areas remain, plausibly affecting the health and wellness of persons with serious mental illnesses.