Empowerment of caregivers of persons with schizophrenia: A group psychoeducational intervention

Pages: 579-583
Fatima Jessy M. (Social Welfare Officer, Government Institute of Mental Health, Kilpauk, Chennai, Tamil Nadu)
Jaikumar V., Prabhu N., and Jayakrishnaveni C. (Department of Psychiatry, Government Institute of Mental Health, Kilpauk, Chennai, Tamil Nadu )

Schizophrenia is an enigmatic mental disorder affecting 1% of the general population at any given time in any society. The disabling nature and chronicity of the illness mandates long-term course of treatment and care. In the recent decades mental health service delivery is undergoing a wide shift from institutionalization to community based care. This vests home-based care for the person with Schizophrenia on caregivers and seeks for their empowerment on effective caring. To study the effectiveness of a group psychoeducational intervention for caregivers of persons with Schizophrenia. The study employed a before and after without control research design where 120 caregivers of persons with Schizophrenia were recruited using purposive sampling technique. The participants were assessed using Knowledge about Schizophrenia Interview (KASI) and Family Attitude Questionnaire (FAQ) before and after the group intervention which focused on dissemination of information regarding the illness and other psychosocial inputs. The knowledge about diagnosis, symptoms, etiology, medication, course, prognosis and management were found to be improved significantly (t=56.33, p<..000) after the psychoeducational intervention. The participants were found to have a significant decrease in the way the caregivers expressed their critical comments, hostility, dissatisfaction and emotional over involvement. They were able to show a higher level of warmth (t-62.96, p<.000) after the intervention. Caring for a person with schizophrenia is highly challenging and it might result in a negative emotional atmosphere in the patient's family. The results prove that a periodic group psychoeducation intervention along with ongoing pharmacotherapy would be beneficial in providing better care for persons with schizophrenia.