Effectiveness of Family Group Interventions for People With Schizophrenia

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The mutual support group intervention would significantly improve the families' burden of care, functioning and social support, reduce the patients' severity of symptoms and re-hospitalizations, and reduce the demands for utilization of family services, when compared with the standard care group.

Detailed Description
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Family interventions in schizophrenia have shown positive effects on patients but little attention has been paid to their effects on family members, particularly those in non-Western countries. This multi-site randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of a bi-weekly, 12-session, family-led mutual support group for Chinese caregivers of schizophrenia sufferers over 36 months, compared with a family psychoeducation group program and standard psychiatric care. It was conducted with 114 families of outpatients with schizophrenia in Hong Kong of whom 38 were assigned randomly to a mutual support group, a psychoeducation group, or standard care. Families' psychosocial health status and patients' symptom severity and length of re-hospitalizations at recruitment, one-month, 18-month, and 36-month post-intervention were compared between groups.

Official Title
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Evaluation of the Effects of Mutual Support and Psycho-educational Group Interventions for Family Caregivers of People With Schizophrenia

Conditions
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Schizophrenia

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: mutual support group
* Behavioral: psychoeducation group
* Other: Standard care


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: family caregivers lived with and cared for one family member diagnosed with schizophrenia according to the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) family caregivers were at least 18 years of age and could understand and read the Chinese (Mandarin) language; and family caregivers were free from any mental illness themselves. Exclusion Criteria: the patients with schizophrenia suffered no co-morbidity due to other mental illness during recruitment to the study family caregivers cared for more than one family member with mental or chronic physical illness; and/or family caregivers had been the primary carers for less than three months

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 50 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Other: standard care<br>Families receive routine community and family mental health care services | Other: Standard care<br>* Routine mental health care services provided by the outpatient clinic and related agencies for families of people with schizophrenia<br>* Other names: Usual psychiatric care;|
| Experimental: mutual support group<br>bi-weekly, 12-session, family-led mutual support group | Behavioral: mutual support group<br>* bi-weekly, 12-session, family-led mutual support group<br>* Other names: FMSG;|
| Active Comparator: psychoeducation group<br>bi-weekly, 12-session, family psychoeducation group program | Behavioral: psychoeducation group<br>* bi-weekly, 12-session, family psychoeducation group<br>* Other names: FPGP;|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| length of re-hospitalizations |  | at recruitment, six-month, 18-month and 36-month post-intervention | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| families' perceived social support |  | at recruitment, six-month, 18-month and 36-month post-intervention | 
| patients' symptom severity |  | at recruitment, six-month, 18-month and 36-month post-intervention | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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mutual support group, psychoeducation group, family caregivers, schizophrenia