The Role of Expressed Emotion in Relationships Between Psychiatric Staff and People With a Diagnosis of Psychosis: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

The concept of expressed emotion (EE) has been extended to the study of staff-patient relationships in schizophrenia. A comprehensive review of the literature identified a total of 27 studies investigating EE in this group published between 1990 and 2008. The article aims to assess whether the concept of EE is a useful and valid measure of the quality of professional caregiver and patient relationships, given that staff may be less emotionally invested in relationships than relatives. In doing so, it summarizes methods of measuring EE, the nature of professional EE compared with familial EE, associations between high EE and patient outcomes, associations between EE and both patient and staff variables, and intervention studies to reduce staff high EE. The available evidence suggests that the Camberwell Family Interview is an acceptable measure of EE in staff-patient relationships, although the Five Minute Speech Sample may provide a less resource intensive alternative. However, in contrast to familial research, neither the EE status on the Camberwell Family Interview nor the Five Minute Speech Sample show a robust relationship with outcomes. The presence or absence of a positive staff-patient relationship may have more predictive validity in this group. There is relatively consistent evidence of associations between staff criticism and poorer patient social functioning. Consistent with findings in familial research, staff attributions may play a key role in driving critical responses, and it may be possible to reduce staff high EE by modifying negative appraisals.