Measuring Experiences: An Evaluation of AOT Participant Satisfaction

Assisted outpatient treatment is a community outpatient treatment program for people with severe mental illness who have a history of difficulty with treatment engagement. Under a court order, an individual with severe mental illness is required to adhere to their treatment plan. While there is a wealth of evidence supporting the effectiveness of AOT programs regarding a variety of outcomes, including reductions in hospitalizations and avoidance of criminal justice system involvement, few studies have examined participant satisfaction with various aspects of the AOT program.

Treatment Advocacy Center’s Office of Research and Public Affairs developed a survey that AOT programs can use to collect data on participant satisfaction and conducted a pilot study of the survey in six Ohio counties. The results from this study indicate that despite the court-ordered nature of AOT, people with severe mental illness are satisfied with their participation in the program and feel that the program provides some benefit in improving their quality of life.

Key findings:

• AOT participants reported high levels of satisfaction and feelings of empowerment with regard to both their treatment team and the courts.
• More than three-quarters of participants agreed that they were satisfied with their treatment team and with the courts.
• Most AOT participants felt they received benefits from the AOT court order and from participating in the program.
• Black participants were significantly more satisfied with their treatment team and with the courts than white participants.
• The aspect of the program AOT participants liked best was the people. For some, this was their treatment team, whereas for others, this was the judge or magistrate.