Perceived expressed emotions in relatives of patients with severe mental illness: A comparative study

There is paucity of studies on expressed emotion (EE) in families of patients with severe mental illness in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to assess and compare the levels of expressed emotion (LEE) in relatives of patients with schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder attending an out-patient clinic in Southwestern Nigeria. One hundred and forty consecutive clinic attendees with Mini-Plus diagnosis of schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder and 140 accompanying relatives were recruited. The patients and relatives were interviewed using a socio-demographic questionnaire. The perceived level of expressed emotion was assessed using the client version of the Level of Expressed Emotion Questionnaire (LEEQ). Although, the prevalence of high expressed emotion was higher among relatives of patients with schizophrenia when compared with relatives of patients with bipolar affective disorder (41% vs 37%), the difference was not statistically significant. The socio-demographic characteristics of the relatives of patients with these disorders were not significantly related to high EE. High expressed emotion is just as prevalent among relatives of patients with bipolar affective disorder as among relatives of patients with schizophrenia and clinicians should give similar attention to early detection of high EE and intervention in this population of patients and their relatives.