Abstract
Hope is central in recovery of the mentally ill, and family attitudes play an important role. Hope may be mediated by cognitive and communication processes. The “Keshet” program is aimed at enhancing communication of family members with the use of cognitive pathways. The present pilot study examines whether the program effectively increases hope in family members in regard to themselves versus their hope for their ill relative. Methods: Forty nine family members who participated in the “Keshet” program for 6 months comprised the experimental group. The control group comprised 22 family members who underwent no structural intervention. Hope was measured at baseline and after 6 months using the Hope Scale developed by Snyder. No difference in self-perception was detected in Hope Scores between groups. However, the experimental group displayed a significant increase in their hope toward the ill relative with a concomitant decrease in the gap between hope of family members in relation to themselves versus their hope toward the ill person. “Keshet” significantly increased hope of families concerning the ill person, while decreasing the gap between hope of family members regarding themselves and the affected person. Thus, the program may contribute to the increase of the families’ hope in the recovery journey of mentally ill family members.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anthony, W. A. (2000). A recovery-oriented system: Setting some system level standards. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 24, 159–168.
Bayer, D. L. (1996). Interaction in families with young adults with a psychiatric diagnosis. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 24(1), 21–30.
Bernheim, K., Lewine, R., & Beale, C. (1984). The caring family. New York: Random Books.
Darlington, Y., & Bland, R. (2002). The nature and sources of hope: Perspectives of family caregivers of people with serious mental illness. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 38(2), 61–69.
Davidson, L., & Strauss, J. S. (1995). Beyond the biopsychosodal model: Integrating disorder, health, and recovery. Psychiatry, 58, 44–55.
Dobrov, A. (2002). The influence of hope, openness to new experiences and conditional control on the degree of opposition to change. Masters Thesis, Psychology Department, Bar Ilan University. (In Hebrew).
Feuerstein, R., & Feuerstein, S. (1991). Mediated learning experience: A theoretical review. In R. Feuerstein, P. S. Klein, & A. J. Tannenbaum (Eds.), Mediated learning experience (MLE): Theoretical, psychosocial, and learning implications (pp. 3–51). London: Freund.
Feuerstein, R., Rand, Y., & Hoffman, M. B. (1979). The dynamic assessment of retarded performers: The learning potential assessment device, theory, instruments, and techniques. Baltimore: University Park Press.
Feuerstein, R., Rand, Y., Hoffman, M. B., & Miller, R. (1980). Instrumental enrichment: An intervention program for cognitive modifiability. Baltimore: University Park Press.
Glynn, S. M., Cohen, A. N., Dixon, L. B., & Niv, N. (2006). The potential impact of the recovery movement on family interventions for schizophrenia: Opportunities and obstacles. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 32, 451–463.
Hadas Lidor, N., & Lachman, M. (2006). On the Journey to recovery—Community based rehabilitation and social inclusion of persons with psychiatric disabilities. Medicine, 1, 42–46. (In Hebrew).
Hadas-Lidor N. (1997). Examining the efficiency of the dynamic cognitive treatment through IE in rehabilitation of clients with schizophrenia. PhD thesis, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
Hadas-Lidor, N., Hasdai, A., & Jarus, T. (2006). “Keshet”—Advancement, participation and communication training course for parents and caregivers for cognitive communnication. Israeli Journal of Occupational Therapy, 15, 31–46. (In Hebrew).
Hadas-Lidor, N., & Weiss, P. (2005). Dynamic cognitive intervention: Application in occupational therapy. In N. Katz (Ed.), Cognition and occupation across the life span (pp. 391–412). Bethesda, MD: American Association of Occupational Therapy.
Hadas-Lidor, N., & Weiss, P. (2007). An academic diploma program as a lever for personal and professional growth and empowerment. The Israel Journal of Occupational Therapy, 16(3), E61–E74.
Katz, N., & Hadas, N. (1995). Cognitive rehabilitation: Occupational therapy models for intervention in psychiatry. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 19, 29–36.
King, S., & Dixon, M. J. (1995). Expressed emotion, family dynamics and symptom severity in a predictive model of social adjustment for schizophrenic young adults. Schizophrenia Research, 14, 121–132.
Kirkpatrick, H., Landeen, J., Woodside, H., & Byrne, C. (2001). How people with schizophrenia build their hope. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 39(1), 46–54.
Kreisman, D. E., & Joy, V. D. (1974). Family response to the mental illness of a relative: A review of the literature. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 10, 34–57.
Lefley, H. P. (1987). Impact of mental illness in families of mental health professionals. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 175, 613–619.
Liberman, R. P., Kopelowitz, A., & Ventura, J. (2002). Operational criteria and factors related to recovery from schizophrenia. International Review of Psychiatry, 14, 256–272.
Lowyck, B., De Hert, M., Peeters, E., Wampers, M., Gilis, P., & Peuskens, J. (2004). A study of the family burden of 150 family members of schizophrenic patients. European Psychiatry, 19, 395–401.
McFarlane, W. R., Lukens, E., Link, B., Dushay, R., Deakins, S. A., Newmark, M., et al. (1995). Multiple-family groups and psychoeducation in the treatment of schizophrenia. Archives of General Psychiatry, 52, 679–687.
Ralph, R. O. (2000). Review of recovery literature: A synthesis of a sample of recovery literature 2000. Retrieved August 5, 2009, from http://www.nasmhpd.org/general_files/publications/ntac_pubs/reports/ralphrecovweb.pdf.
Resnick, S. G., Fontana, A., Lehman, A. F., & Rosenheck, R. A. (2005). An empirical conceptualization of the recovery orientation. Schizophrenia Research Journal, 75(1), 119–128.
Roe, D., Chopra, M., & Rudnick, A. (2004). Persons with psychosis as active agents interacting with their disorder. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 28(2), 122–128.
Shamir, A. (2006). Mental health morbidity—An outcast of the Israeli health system. In A. Aviram & Y. Ginat (Eds.), Mental health services in Israel: Trends and issues. Azur: Cherikover-Mabat.
Snyder, C. R. (1995). Conceptualizing, measuring, and nurturing hope. Journal of Counseling and Development, 73, 355–360.
Snyder, C. R., Cheavens, J., & Sympson, S. C. (1997). Hope: An individual motive for social commerce. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 1, 107–118.
Snyder, C. R., Harris, C., Anderson, J. R., Holleran, S. A., Irving, L. M., Sigmon, S. T., et al. (1991). The will and the ways: Development and validation of an individual-differences measure of hope. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 570–585.
Snyder, C. R., Lapointe, A. B., Crowson, J. J., Jr, & Early, S. (1998). Preferences of high- and low-hope people for self-referential input. Cognition & Emotion, 12, 807–823.
Terkelsen, K. (1987). The evolution of family responses to mental illness through time. In A. Hatfield & H. Lefley (Eds.), Families of the mentally ill: Coping and adaptation (pp. 151–166). New York: Guilford Press.
Tucker, C., Barker, A., & Gregoire, A. (1998). Living with schizophrenia: Caring for a person with a severe mental illness. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 33, 305–309.
Wasow, M. (1995). The skipping stone. Palo Alto, CA: Science and Behaviour Books.
Acknowledgments
The author(s) report no financial or other relationship relevant to the subject of this article. The authors are grateful to all the families who participated in the study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Redlich, D., Hadas-Lidor, N., Weiss, P. et al. Mediated Learning Experience Intervention Increases Hope of Family Members Coping with a Relative with Severe Mental Illness. Community Ment Health J 46, 409–415 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-009-9234-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-009-9234-3