The Effectiveness of a Psychoeducational Support Service to Families of Persons with a Chronic Mental Illness

Abstract

At the heart of the family psychoeducational approach is the need expressed by families experiencing significant burdens in caring for their ill relatives for more information and concrete advice about their relatives' illness and treatment. The programs reported in the literature that have been developed to respond to these needs have shown significant positive results. It is hypothesized in this study that the educational aspect of these programs is a significant mode of action or core component of these programs. To test the effectiveness of this core or minimal educational module directed toward families of persons with a chronic mental illness, an all-day educational workshop was conducted with family members (N = 22) who live with a relative with a schizophrenic illness. Results attest to the benefits of an educational model of intervention with families of persons with a chronic mental illness. The study offers some preliminary implications, both theoretical and practical, for the role of social workers in working with caregivers of the chronically mentally ill