Multiple-family Group Treatment Research Articles

Adapting Multiple-Family Group Treatment for Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Intervention Development and Preliminary Outcomes

There is a need for interventions that assist in managing the multiple adjustments of persons with spinal cord and brain injuries and their families. The purpose of the present field-initiated development project was to adapt a family psychoeducation model, multiple-family group treatment (MFGT), for persons with brain and spinal cord injury and their families. The experiences of survivors and caregivers in MFGT were evaluated using quantitative and qualitative methods. Twenty-seven survivors and 28 caregivers participated in MFGT for 12-18 mos. Reliable and valid quantitative measures were used to assess a variety of target outcomes. Additionally, semistructured interviews and focus groups were conducted with participants. Survivors reported a decrease in depressive symptoms and anger expression toward others as well as an increase in life satisfaction. Caregivers reported a significant reduction in burden. The themes derived from the qualitative analysis addressed the normalization of the caregiving experience, importance of socialization, improvement in a variety of coping skills, and education about the injuries. The findings support the adaptation of MFGT for brain and spinal cord injuries.

Clinician Integrity in Multiple Family Groups: Psychometric Properties and Relationship with Schizophrenia Client and Caregiver Outcomes

Multiple family group treatment (MFGT) is an evidence-based cognitive behavioral psycho-education and problem-solving intervention for the management of schizophrenia. Despite empirical support for the efficacy of MFGT, there is no psychometric tool for measuring treatment integrity in MFGT. In addition, research has not examined the impact of treatment integrity on client and family outcomes. The psychometric properties of a clinician integrity measure and its relationship to client and family outcomes was investigated among 7 clinician dyads who provided treatment to 53 persons with schizophrenia and their families over 2 years. The treatment integrity measure was found to have adequate psychometric properties and was able to differentiate clinicians with low, moderate, and high treatment integrity. To investigate the association of integrity with outcomes, dyads were split into low/moderate and high MFGT integrity groups. It was hypothesized that participants who received high integrity MFGT would experience a greater reduction in client psychiatric symptoms and more positive psychological health in family caregivers, relative to persons who received low/moderate integrity MFGT. Accounting for pre-intervention levels of psychiatric symptoms and session attendance, clients who were provided high integrity MFGT demonstrated significantly lower post-randomization scores on two measures of psychiatric symptoms, relative to those who received low/moderate integrity MFGT. There was no effect of treatment integrity on family caregiver outcomes. Discussion focuses on the issues associated with measuring and assuring treatment integrity in clinical research and practice.

Multiple‐Family Group Treatment of Outpatients With Schizophrenia: Impact on Service Utilization

The impact of multiple-family group treatment (MFGT) on outpatient and inpatient mental health service utilization of 97 persons with schizophrenia was investigated. Participants were randomly assigned to standard care (n = 44) or standard care plus MFGT (n = 53). Service use for a year prior to randomization, the 2-year study period, and a 1-year follow-up were examined. Relative to standard care participants, the MFGT group had reduced community hospitalization during year 1 of the intervention and reduced state hospitalization at follow-up. During the intervention period, MFGT participants demonstrated a significant increase in outpatient utilization as a direct consequence of the intervention. However, when service use was summed across 3 years post-randomization, no group differences were observed. Results suggest that implementation of MFGT in a community mental health setting reduces inpatient service at specific time periods, without significantly increasing outpatient service utilization. These findings add to other outcomes from this study that demonstrate decreased psychiatric symptoms and caregiver distress.

Multiple-Family Group Treatment for English- and Vietnamese-Speaking Families Living With Schizophrenia

Multiple-Family Group Treatment for English- and Vietnamese-Speaking Families Living With Schizophrenia

Multiple-Family Group Treatment for English- and Vietnamese-Speaking Families Living With Schizophrenia

This study, which was the first evaluation in Australia of multiple-family group treatment, explored the effectiveness of this approach for a newly arrived non-English speaking migrant group, first-generation Vietnamese families, and for English-speaking families. Thirty-four pairs of English-speaking consumers and family members and 25 Vietnamese-speaking pairs were randomly assigned to a multiple-family group or a control group. All consumers had a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The multiple-family group intervention (26 sessions over 12 months) was delivered as an adjunct to case management services, which all consumers received. Outcomes, which were measured immediately after treatment and 18 months later, included the number of relapse episodes; the presence and severity of symptoms, as measured by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms; and social functioning, as measured by the Family Burden Scale, the Health of the Nation Outcome Scale, and the Quality of Life Scale. Relapse rates immediately after treatment were significantly lower for the multiple-family group than for the control group (12 and 36 percent), and relapse rates were also lower during the follow-up period (25 and 63 percent). BPRS ratings were significantly lower for participants in the multiple-family group, and vocational outcomes also improved. The reductions in relapse and symptoms were similar for the English-speaking and the Vietnamese-speaking family groups; sample size precluded statistical analysis of differences. Multiple-family group treatment is an effective cognitive-behavioral intervention in the treatment of schizophrenia. The findings suggest continued application of and research on family interventions for non-English speaking migrant populations.

Multiple-family group treatment as an effective intervention for children with psychological disorders

An estimated 20% of children 1 1 Unless otherwise specified, the term children refers to all persons younger than 18 years of age. suffer from psychological disorders and only 10–20% receive adequate treatment. A lack of empirically supported treatments is one reason why relatively few children receive treatment for their psychological difficulties. Multiple-family group treatment (MFGT) is an empirically supported intervention for adults with chronic mental illnesses that may be an effective treatment for children with psychological disorders. This article reviewed the adult MFGT model and its empirical support. The quantity and quality of child MFGT research was then reviewed. Child MFGT models are compared with one another and to the adult MFGT model. All studies provided initial support of MFGT as an appropriate treatment for childhood disorders. However, the child literature as whole was relatively limited, unfocused, and lacked replication. Suggestions for future research are made, focusing on a structured and scientific approach to establishing MFGT as an empirically supported intervention for children.

Burden in schizophrenia caregivers: impact of family psychoeducation and awareness of patient suicidality.

Family caregivers of persons with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders experience high levels of burden. Although a number of patient and caregiver predictors of burden have been identified, little research has investigated the contributions of patient depression, suicidal ideation, and substance abuse. In addition, family psychoeducation interventions have reduced patient symptoms, as well as inpatient treatment utilization; however, it is not known whether or not these interventions reduce family burden. This study investigated predictors of family burden and tested to what degree multiple family group treatment (MFGT), relative to a standard care condition, was associated with reduced family burden. Participants were 90 outpatients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, and their caregivers who were enrolled in a 2 year psychoeducation intervention. The best set of predictors of burden, identified by stepwise linear regression, was young patient age, awareness of patient's suicidal ideation, and family resources. These variables accounted for 32% of the total variance in burden. Findings suggest that caregiver's awareness of patient's suicidal ideation, not patient's report of suicidal ideation; and that patient age, not duration of the illness, were significant independent predictors of burden. When compared to a standard-care condition over 2 years, MFGT did not reduce family caregiver burden. Discussions focus on the relationship between burden and its predictors, and possible reasons why MFGT did not decrease burden. Modifications are proposed that may increase the impact of MFGT.

Multiple-Family Group Treatment: The Underexplored Therapy

Multipl,e-family group therapy (MFGT) has been conducted since 1951. Even though personal accounts of the efficacy of MFGT have been consistently documented, current research in this area of counseling is sparse. The purposes of this review are to (a) explore the limited amount of MFGT research that has been conducted over the past 10 years, (b) inform couple andfamily therapists of the advantages of MFGTI and (3) discuss the implications for the future of MFGTfrom the five research articles reviewed herein.

A comparison of two short term models for multiple family group treatment

A comparison of two short term models for multiple family group treatment