Wai Tong Chien1, Annie L K Yip2, Justina Y W Liu3, Terry W McMaster4. 1. School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Electronic address: wai.tong.chien@polyu.edu.hk. 2. School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Electronic address: annie.l.k.yip@polyu.edu.hk. 3. School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Electronic address: justina.liu@polyu.edu.hk. 4. Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Canada. Electronic address: cecilskchu@gmail.com.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:Family intervention for psychotic disorders is an integral part of psychiatric treatment with positive effects on patients' mental state and relapse rate. However, the effect of such family-based intervention on caregivers' psychological distress and well-being, especially in non-Western countries, has received comparatively much less attention. OBJECTIVES: To test the effects of guided problem-solving-based manual-guided self-learning programme for family caregivers of adults with recent-onset psychosis over a 6-month period of follow-up, when compared with those in usual family support service. DESIGN: A single-centre randomised controlled trial, which was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02391649), with a repeated-measures, two-arm (parallel-group) design. SETTINGS: One main psychiatric outpatient clinic in the New Territories of Hong Kong. PARTICIPANTS: A random sample of 116 family caregiverss of adult outpatients with recent-onset psychosis. METHODS: Following pre-test measurement, caregivers were assigned randomly to one of two study groups: a 5-month self-help, problem-solving-based manual-guided self-learning (or bibliotherapy) programme (in addition to usual care), or usual family support service only. Varieties of patient and caregiver health outcomes were assessed and compared at baseline and at 1-week and 6-month post-intervention. RESULTS:One hundred and eleven (96%) caregivers completed the 6-month follow-up (two post-tests); 55 of them (95%) completed ≥4 modules and attended ≥2 review sessions (i.e., 75% of the intervention). The family participants' mean age was about 38 years and over 64% of them were female and patient's parent or spouse. Multivariate analyses of variance indicated that the manual-guided self-learning group reported significantly greater improvements than the usual care group in family burden [F(1,110)=6.21, p=0.006] and caregiving experience [F(1,110)=6.88, p=0.0004], and patients' psychotic symptoms [F(1,110)=6.25, p=0.0003], functioning [F(1,110)=7.01, p=0.0005] and number of hospitalisations [F(1,110)=5.71, p=0.005] over 6-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS:Problem-solving-based, manual-guided self-learning programme for family caregivers of adults with recent-onset psychosis can be an effective self-help programme and provide medium-term benefits to patients' and caregivers' mental health and duration of patients' re-hospitalisations.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Family intervention for psychotic disorders is an integral part of psychiatric treatment with positive effects on patients' mental state and relapse rate. However, the effect of such family-based intervention on caregivers' psychological distress and well-being, especially in non-Western countries, has received comparatively much less attention. OBJECTIVES: To test the effects of guided problem-solving-based manual-guided self-learning programme for family caregivers of adults with recent-onset psychosis over a 6-month period of follow-up, when compared with those in usual family support service. DESIGN: A single-centre randomised controlled trial, which was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02391649), with a repeated-measures, two-arm (parallel-group) design. SETTINGS: One main psychiatricoutpatient clinic in the New Territories of Hong Kong. PARTICIPANTS: A random sample of 116 family caregiverss of adult outpatients with recent-onset psychosis. METHODS: Following pre-test measurement, caregivers were assigned randomly to one of two study groups: a 5-month self-help, problem-solving-based manual-guided self-learning (or bibliotherapy) programme (in addition to usual care), or usual family support service only. Varieties of patient and caregiver health outcomes were assessed and compared at baseline and at 1-week and 6-month post-intervention. RESULTS: One hundred and eleven (96%) caregivers completed the 6-month follow-up (two post-tests); 55 of them (95%) completed ≥4 modules and attended ≥2 review sessions (i.e., 75% of the intervention). The family participants' mean age was about 38 years and over 64% of them were female and patient's parent or spouse. Multivariate analyses of variance indicated that the manual-guided self-learning group reported significantly greater improvements than the usual care group in family burden [F(1,110)=6.21, p=0.006] and caregiving experience [F(1,110)=6.88, p=0.0004], and patients' psychotic symptoms [F(1,110)=6.25, p=0.0003], functioning [F(1,110)=7.01, p=0.0005] and number of hospitalisations [F(1,110)=5.71, p=0.005] over 6-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Problem-solving-based, manual-guided self-learning programme for family caregivers of adults with recent-onset psychosis can be an effective self-help programme and provide medium-term benefits to patients' and caregivers' mental health and duration of patients' re-hospitalisations.