Family intervention for the rehabilitation of schizophrenia: toward protection and coping

Recent family aftercare intervention programs for schizophrenia have been reported by groups of investigators led by Falloon, Goldstein, Hogarty and Anderson, and Leff. Despite varied methods of intervention with families, all of these programs, when combined with neuroleptic medication, have demonstrated very significant decreases in relapse rates; some have also demonstrated improvements in social and role functioning. These programs share a number of common features: Family interventions are concrete and practical rather than analytical and interpretive; education about schizophrenia is delivered in a straightforward manner; and family members are treated with respect and helped to develop coping strategies. These demonstration programs are all related to vulnerability-stress-coping-competence model of schizophrenia. It is argued that future research programs should aim at gaining a better understanding of the crucial family mediating mechanisms which protect the individual from episodes of schizophrenia.