Efficacy and effectiveness of individual family intervention on social and clinical functioning and family burden in severe schizophrenia: a 2-year randomized controlled study

• Published in: Psychological medicine Vol. 40; no. 1; pp. 73 - 84
• Main Authors: Girón, M., Fernández-Yañez, A., Mañá-Alvarenga, S., Molina-Habas, A., Nolasco, A., Gómez-Beneyto, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.01.2010
• Subjects: Adult; Antipsychotic Agents - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Burden; Caregivers - psychology; Clinical trials; Combined Modality Therapy; Comparative studies; Compliance; Cost of Illness; Efficacy; Family burden; Family counseling; family intervention; Family psychotherapy. Systemic therapy; Family Therapy; Female; Humans; Intervention; Male; Medical sciences; Patient Compliance - psychology; Prognosis; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychosocial intervention; Psychotherapies. Psychological and clinical counseling; Psychotherapy; Psychotic Disorders - diagnosis; Psychotic Disorders - psychology; Psychotic Disorders - therapy; relapse; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - diagnosis; Schizophrenia - therapy; Schizophrenic Psychology; Secondary Prevention; Social Adjustment; social functioning; Spain; Treatment Outcome; Treatments; Young Adult; Europe; Spain; social functioning; family intervention; Family burden; schizophrenia; relapse; Social environment; Human; Relapse; Treatment efficiency; Mental health; Schizophrenia; Controlled therapeutic trial; Stress; Psychosis; Treatment; Social behavior; Social interaction; Follow up study; Family psychotherapy; Family environment; Therapeutic schedule; Schizophreniform disorder; Public health
• ISSN: 0033-2917; 1469-8978
• DOI: 10.1017/S0033291709006126

Empirical evidence of the efficacy and effectiveness of psychosocial family intervention and of the specificity of its effects on the course of schizophrenia is limited. The aim was to study the efficacy and effectiveness of psychosocial family intervention with regard to clinical and social functioning and family burden after controlling for compliance and several prognostic factors. A 2-year randomized controlled trial with blind assessments. Fifty patients with DSM-IV schizophrenia and persistent positive symptoms and/or previous clinical relapse were allocated to psychosocial family intervention, individual counselling and standard treatment versus individual counselling and standard treatment. Family intervention was associated with fewer clinical relapses, hospitalizations and major incidents, and an improvement in positive and negative symptoms, social role performance, social relations, employment and family burden. The reduction in hospitalizations in the family intervention group was significantly greater than that observed in the group of patients who refused to participate but this was not the case for the control group. The effects of family intervention were independent of compliance and prognostic factors. Family intervention is effective in severe schizophrenia independently of compliance and prognostic factors.