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A randomized controlled study of two styles of group patient education about schizophrenia
1Psychiatry Service, Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA. ascher-svanum.haya@indianapolis.va.gov
Objective:
The therapeutic specificity of patient education about schizophrenia was investigated in a randomized controlled study comparing the effects of two styles of group educational intervention.
Methods:
Thirty-three adult inpatients with schizophrenia were assigned in a stratified random manner either to an experimental patient education group that used a didactic format to cover a range of topics on the characteristics and treatment of schizophrenia (N = 16) or to a control group in which participants discussed their subjective experiences with schizophrenia and its treatment (N = 17). Before and after the group interventions, participants responded to measures of knowledge about schizophrenia, insight into illness, and cognitions about medication intake.
Results:
The two groups did not differ significantly in postintervention scores on measures.
Conclusions:
The benefits of patient education may not be due to specific active therapeutic educational ingredients but may be due instead to the presence of nonspecific treatment effects.