Changes in attribution and expressed emotion among the relatives of patients with schizophrenia

The study investigated whether reductions in hostility and criticism in the relatives of psychiatric patients would be associated with changes in their beliefs about the causes of the patient's symptoms and negative behaviours. Twenty-six relatives of patients with schizophrenia were assessed both before and after taking part in interventions designed to reduce levels of expressed emotion. Over the course of the interventions there was a general reduction in relatives' criticism and hostility, a shift towards making more universal attributions for patients' negative behaviours and more use of attributions to illness. Reductions in criticism were not related to attributional change, but reductions in hostility were associated with shifts towards more universal and uncontrollable attributions.