Abstract:
Schizophrenia is a disruptive and distressing illness, not only for the person affected but also for family members. Family intervention, particularly in a group format using a diverse range of modalities, is thought to effectively satisfy the informational needs of families and enhance their coping abilities when caring for a relative with schizophrenia, and thus reduce a patient\'s relapse from illness. This study tested the hypothesis that participants in a family psychoeducation and mutual support group would demonstrate significant improvements in levels of patient and family functioning and shorter duration of re-hospitalization than families in routine care. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with a sample of 68 Chinese families of schizophrenia sufferers in Hong Kong, who were randomly assigned to either a family psychoeducation and support group (n = 34), or a routine care group (n = 34). The interventions were delivered at two psychiatric outpatient clinics over a nine-month period. Results of multivariate analyses of variance test indicated that the psychoeducation and support group reported greater improvements on family and patient functioning and shorter lengths of patient hospitalizations at the two post-tests (one month and one year after completion of the intervention), compared with the routine care group. The findings substantiate that within a Chinese context, psychoeducation and mutual support group intervention can effectively help families care for a mentally ill relative.
摘要:
精神分裂症是一种破坏性和痛苦的疾病,不仅是受影响的人,也是家庭成员。家庭干预,特别是在使用不同形式的团体形式中,被认为可以有效地满足家庭的信息需求,并提高他们在照顾精神分裂症亲属时的应对能力,从而减少病人的疾病复发。这项研究检验了以下假设:与常规护理的家庭相比,家庭心理教育和互助小组的参与者将证明患者和家庭功能水平的显着改善以及重新住院的时间更短。一项随机对照试验以香港68个中国精神分裂症患者家庭为样本,他们被随机分配到家庭心理教育和支持小组(n=34),或常规护理组(n=34)。干预措施在9个月的时间内在两个精神病门诊诊所进行。方差检验的多变量分析结果表明,心理教育和支持小组在两次测试后(干预完成后的一个月和一年)报告了家庭和患者功能的改善以及患者住院时间的缩短。与常规护理组比较。研究结果证实,在中国的背景下,心理教育和互助团体干预可以有效地帮助家庭照顾精神病患者的亲属。