THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL FAMILY THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIC DISORDERS

A review of the literature on family psychoeducational interventions in schizophrenic disorders revealed two generations of studies. The first generation compared the clinical efficacy of psychoeducational family treatments and medication to medication only or routine care. A second generation of studies used more complex experimental designs that often narrowed the differences between the experimental treatment and comparison conditions. The results of the first generation of studies are unequivocal in demonstrating the superiority of family intervention plus medication over medication alone in delaying psychotic relapses. The second-generation studies had more equivocal results; they suggest that the efficacy of family intervention as an adjunct to medication in schizophrenia is in part a function of the type and format of the intervention being delivered, the treatment setting, and other variables.