Impact of Family Psychoeducation Intervention on Relapse Prevention in Hospitalized Psychiatric Patients

Background: Family psychoeducation is considered as an intervention focused on individual rehabilitation of mental disordersthrough improving the caregiver’s awareness about their family member’s illness, risk factors, and treatment component and relapseprevention strategies.Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of family psychoeducation on patients’ relapse and length of stay inhospital.Methods: In this retrospective study, registered data in the health information management unit, including demographic data,acute symptoms and signs and medical history, was used and sample selection was done through a purposive sampling procedure.Participants consisted of ۲۱۹۲ patients with severe mental disorders admitted to Ibn Sina Psychiatric Hospital in Bandar Abbas, Iransince ۲۰۰۹ to ۲۰۱۴. The recipients of psychoeducation comprised all immediate family members of the patients in psychiatric hospitalwho were available at time of discharge. Subjects were receiving standard pharmacologic treatment and one session of individualfamily psychoeducation interventions. The psychoeducation was presented by a psychologist and a nurse upon patient dischargeday from hospital between ۲۰۱۱ and ۲۰۱۴. The findings including recurrence rate and admission durations were comparedwith data collected during the three years leading to the intervention (۲۰۰۹ to ۲۰۱۱). Data was assessed through Paired-sample t-test.Results: The results revealed that receiving psychoeducation by family can positively affect the rate of readmission (t = ۴۱.۳۰, P <۰.۰۰۱) and the length of stay in hospital (t = ۳۹.۱۰, P < ۰.۰۰۱).Conclusions: Since psychoeducation of caregivers can be significantly influential in reducing the recurrence rate and duration ofhospitalization, it is advisable after discharge for patients suffering from chronic mental disorders.

Keywords:

Psychoeducation , Psychiatric Patient , Family , Relapse , Length of Stay