Effect of family psychoeducation and access to information on illness negative perceptions: a study on French families of persons experiencing schizophrenia

Abstract

Abstract Background A better understanding of schizophrenia, a chronic disease often leading to heavy negative consequences both on users and families, has been shown to reduce those difficulties. Studies recommend family psychoeducation, as this structured educative intervention reduces parents’ depressive symptoms, enhances family mood, and decreases risks of relapse for users. Our objective is to assess whether family psychoeducation and access to information has an effect on close relatives’ illness negative perceptions. Methods Our sample consists in 27 close relatives of persons with schizophrenia. We used a semi-structured interview assessing access to psycho-education and information about illness and diagnosis. We also used the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, which explores various illness negative perceptions, as well as probable causes of the illness. Results A better access to diagnosis for families is associated with a shorter perceived probable illness duration (p=.044). Family psychoeducation programs, followed by 38,5% of close relatives, reduces their perception of the frequency of user’s present symptoms (p=.029). This could be caused by a better understanding of real symptoms, or by an enhancement of family mood. Also, family psychoeducation has an effect on causal attributions: 50% of close relatives with access to family psychoeducation believed in a substance abuse causality, opposed to 12,5% of the others (p=.036). Conclusions Family psychoeducation could help allowing a shift in causal attributions and more generally enhancing family reaction to the disease, which, in turn, can have an impact on the user’s recovery process. Thus, this intervention deserves more attention and should be more systematically proposed to French families, alongside with an easier access to information.