Effectiveness of family interventions for patients with schizophrenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The family is the primary caregiver for most patients with schizophrenia, and their roles are essential in patients' illness trajectories and outcomes. Due to this, various family interventions for schizophrenia have been developed and applied to the relatives who take care of their family members with schizophrenia. This study examined the effectiveness of existing family interventions for schizophrenia in achieving their target outcomes at both the family and patient levels by utilizing a systematic review and meta-analysis. Combinations of terms were used to search for relevant studies from the databases. Thirty-seven randomized controlled trials that met the inclusion criteria were included in the analysis. Based on the pooled result of the included studies, the programmes significantly improved the targeted outcomes with large effect size. The programmes' impacts on family-related outcomes were higher than those on patients. Among the targeted outcomes, patients' treatment satisfaction and adherence and family caregivers' mental health were the most remarkable outcomes that had improved from the included programmes. Conversely, outcomes related to family relationships, caregiving experiences, perceived social support of family caregivers, and patients' medication use did not see significant improvements. The programmes delivered to individual family units and only to the family caregivers were more effective than those delivered to groups of caregivers and caregivers and patients together, respectively. Programme-focused interventions were more effective than emotion-focused ones. Based on these findings, an in-home visiting nurse programme or advanced technology is suggested when applying family interventions for schizophrenia in practice.