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Family interventions for schizophrenia in Italy: randomized controlled trial

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European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the effectiveness of multiple group family treatment for Schizophrenia.

Method

Relatives were randomly provided with an informative programme (n = 50), or allocated to receive an additional support programme (n = 26). Patients did not attend the programme to overcome cultural and organizational implementation barriers. The 12 and 24 months clinical and family outcomes were assessed.

Results

Patients’ compliance with standard care was greater at 12 months in the more intensive behavioural management group over a control group receiving treatment as usual (TAU) (n = 25). A reduction in levels of expressed emotion (EE), significantly more frequent in those receiving the additional support programme than just the informative, occurred after treatment completion. Other clinical and family outcomes did not differ. However, treatment benefits declined at 24 months, when baseline high EE was again predictive of patient’s admission and relatives were more vulnerable to objective burden. Baseline illness severity variables predicted a number of medium and long-term poor clinical outcomes.

Conclusions

Although family psychoeducation has been tested in a wide range of Anglo-Saxon settings, there remains need to assess outcomes more internationally. Effective family interventions for people with schizophrenia probably require continued administration of key-elements or ongoing informal support to deal with the vicissitudes of illnesses.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Paul Bebbington (Royal Free and University College Medical School, London) for the critical, stimulating and motivating comments on an earlier version of the article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mental Health Sciences, Royal Free and University College Medical School, 48 Riding House Street, London, W1W 7EY, UK

    Giuseppe Carrà

  2. Department of Health Sciences, Section of Medical Statistics, University of Pavia, Via Bassi 21, 27100, Pavia, Italy

    Cristina Montomoli

  3. Department of Psychiatry, San Paolo’s Hospital Medical School, University of Milan, Via A. Di Rudinì 8, 20144, Milan, Italy

    Massimo Clerici

  4. Association for Research on Schizophrenia (ARS), Via Tamagno 5, 20124, Milan, Italy

    Giuseppe Carrà, Massimo Clerici & Carlo Lorenzo Cazzullo

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  1. Giuseppe Carrà
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  2. Cristina Montomoli
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  4. Carlo Lorenzo Cazzullo
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Correspondence to Giuseppe Carrà.

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Carrà, G., Montomoli, C., Clerici, M. et al. Family interventions for schizophrenia in Italy: randomized controlled trial. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 257, 23–30 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-006-0677-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-006-0677-z

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