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Psychoeducational intervention for caregivers of Indian patients with schizophrenia: a randomised‐controlled trial
Author(s) -
Kulhara P.,
Chakrabarti S.,
Avasthi A.,
Sharma A.,
Sharma S.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2008.01304.x
Subject(s) - psychopathology , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , intervention (counseling) , caregiver burden , psychoeducation , psychological intervention , randomized controlled trial , medicine , psychiatry , coping (psychology) , clinical psychology , psychology , dementia , surgery , disease , pathology
Objective: There are hardly any randomised‐controlled trials of structured family interventions for schizophrenia from India. This study attempted to evaluate the impact of a structured psychoeducational intervention for schizophrenia, compared with standard out‐patient treatment, on various patient‐ and caregiver‐related parameters. Method: Seventy‐six patients with DSM‐IV schizophrenia and their caregivers were randomly allocated to receive either a structured psychoeducational intervention ( n = 38) consisting of monthly sessions for 9 months or ‘routine’ out‐patient care ( n = 38) for the same duration. Psychopathology was assessed on monthly basis. Disability levels, caregiver‐burden, caregiver‐coping, caregiver‐support and caregiver‐satisfaction were evaluated at baseline and upon completion. Results: Structured psychoeducational intervention was significantly better than routine out‐patient care on several indices including psychopathology, disability, caregiver‐support and caregiver‐satisfaction. The psychoeducational intervention package used was simple, feasible and not costly. Conclusion: Structured psychoeducational intervention is a viable option for treatment of schizophrenia even in developing countries like India.