Theoretical background: The general population is experiencing a surge in anxiety and depression, leading to increased demand for psychological help and a struggle to meet individual needs, especially in milder cases. Thus, the Italian government has launched the "Psychological Bonus" policy, allocating 25 million euros for mental health support and providing up to 10-12 psychological consultations. Research aims: In this scenario, our contribution, in collaboration with the National Board of Italian Psychologists (CNOP), aims to investigate the initiative's effectiveness by pursuing three objectives: first, surveying the access to the Psychological Bonus; second, evaluating the impact of the interventions on the psychological well-being of adults and adolescents before and after the intervention and at six months follow up; third, evaluating the economic impact of this initiative through a longitudinal cost-effectiveness analysis that considers the benefits in terms of improved well-being. Study design: Participants are licensed psychotherapists and their patients (adults and adolescents) that utilized the Psychological Bonus. Data collection is ongoing and will be completed by December 2023. Psychotherapists will provide diagnostic data and assess their patients' functioning. Patients will be evaluated on various aspects of mental health, including clinical symptoms, emotion regulation, and quality of life. We will use multivariate regression and longitudinal mixed models to explore the study's primary outcomes. Expected results and impact: We expect our findings to show a decrease in overall patients' psychological symptoms and distress and improved quality of life. Furthermore, we anticipate that the initiative will deliver a favourable return on investment and prove to be cost-effective. This study represents a unique opportunity to assess what works and for whom to implement more structural initiatives in the Italian healthcare system and promote a culture of psychological health through disseminating results to the general public.
Benzi, I., Lazzari, D., Compare, A., Di Nuovo, S., Lo Coco, G., Lingiardi, V., et al. (2023). Assessing the Effectiveness of the Italian Psychological Bonus: A Study of Access, Impact, and Cost-Effectiveness. Intervento presentato a: European Congress of Psychology ECP - 03 July 2023 - 06 July 2023, Brighton, UK.
Assessing the Effectiveness of the Italian Psychological Bonus: A Study of Access, Impact, and Cost-Effectiveness
Benzi, IMA;Parolin, L
2023
Abstract
Theoretical background: The general population is experiencing a surge in anxiety and depression, leading to increased demand for psychological help and a struggle to meet individual needs, especially in milder cases. Thus, the Italian government has launched the "Psychological Bonus" policy, allocating 25 million euros for mental health support and providing up to 10-12 psychological consultations. Research aims: In this scenario, our contribution, in collaboration with the National Board of Italian Psychologists (CNOP), aims to investigate the initiative's effectiveness by pursuing three objectives: first, surveying the access to the Psychological Bonus; second, evaluating the impact of the interventions on the psychological well-being of adults and adolescents before and after the intervention and at six months follow up; third, evaluating the economic impact of this initiative through a longitudinal cost-effectiveness analysis that considers the benefits in terms of improved well-being. Study design: Participants are licensed psychotherapists and their patients (adults and adolescents) that utilized the Psychological Bonus. Data collection is ongoing and will be completed by December 2023. Psychotherapists will provide diagnostic data and assess their patients' functioning. Patients will be evaluated on various aspects of mental health, including clinical symptoms, emotion regulation, and quality of life. We will use multivariate regression and longitudinal mixed models to explore the study's primary outcomes. Expected results and impact: We expect our findings to show a decrease in overall patients' psychological symptoms and distress and improved quality of life. Furthermore, we anticipate that the initiative will deliver a favourable return on investment and prove to be cost-effective. This study represents a unique opportunity to assess what works and for whom to implement more structural initiatives in the Italian healthcare system and promote a culture of psychological health through disseminating results to the general public.
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