ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Patient's relatives usually care for patients with schizophrenia, and as informal caregivers they experience negative consequences. The aim of the EDUCA-III trial is to test the efficacy of a psychoeducational intervention program (PIP) versus standard care to reduce the caregiver burden at post-intervention (4 months), and at follow-up (8 months). METHOD: A two-arm, evaluator blind, multicentre, randomized controlled trial. The PIP group had 12 weekly group sessions. The control intervention group had the usual support and standard care. Primary outcomes were change scores since baseline on the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and the Involvement Evaluation Questionnaire (IEQ). RESULTS: One hundred and nine caregivers were randomized to PIP and 114 to control condition from 23 research sites. The decrease of ZBI scores was significantly higher on the PIP arm at 4 months (mean difference [MD]=-4.33; 95% CI -7.96, -0.71), and at 8 months (MD=-4.46; 95% CI -7.79, -1.13). There were no significant decreases in the IEQ scores (MD at 4 months=-2.80; 95% CI -6.27, 0.67; MD at 8 months=-2.85; 95% CI -6.51, 0.81). CONCLUSIONS: The PIP condition seems to reduce caregiver burden. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN32545295.
Subject(s)
Caregivers , Health Education , Schizophrenia/therapy , Stress, Psychological/prevention & control , Adaptation, Psychological , Aged , Caregivers/education , Caregivers/psychology , Cost of Illness , Counseling , Educational Measurement/methods , Efficiency, Organizational , Female , Health Education/methods , Health Education/organization & administration , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Social Support , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
El objetivo del presente estudio es determinar si un programa psicosocial de intervención grupal dirigido a familias de personas con trastorno psicótico mejora el bienestar de los propios familiares/ cuidadores informales. La muestra estaba compuesta de 27 participantes, 12 en el grupo experimental, y 15 en el control. Los participantes del grupo experimental, además de seguir recibiendo la atención estándar, recibieron 18 sesiones semanales de un programa que reunía componentes de psicoeducación, habilidades de afrontamiento y comunicación, autocuidado emocional y ayuda mutua; los pertenecientes al grupo control, solo recibieron la atención estándar. Los efectos que se obtuvieron a la finalización del programa fueron una mejora significativa en la reducción de la sobrecarga y el aumento del estado de ánimo de los participantes del grupo experimental, junto con mejoras importantes en otras variables, en especial los niveles de ansiedad, respecto al inicio de la intervención. También un alto grado de satisfacción con el servicio recibido. Al comparar ambos grupos, se verificó que la participación en el programa de intervención mitigaba la tendencia natural de los cuidadores a empeorar, cuando no recibían el programa de intervención. Parece, pues, indicado promover la implementación en los servicios sociosanitarios de programas adaptados a las necesidades específicas de los cuidadores informales/familiares de personas con trastornos psicóticos (AU)
The aim of the current study was to establish if a psychosocial family intervention program improves the emotional comfort in relatives/informal caregivers of patients with a psychotic disorder. The participants in the study were 27 caregivers, 12 in the experimental condition and 15 in the control condition. In the experimental condition relatives received standard intervention plus an 18 weekly sessions of a program with components of psychoeducation, coping and communication skills, emotional self care, and mutual support. Control condition just received standard intervention. Results revealed that burden decreased and mood increased, both significantly, in the experimental condition. Participants in this group also improved from the beginning of the program in others variables as levels of anxiety. High degree of satisfaction was reported, too. Comparing both conditions it was found out that when participants got involved in the program the caregivers reduced the tendency to get worse. It is claimed the implementation in the social and health services programs adapted to the specific needs of informal caregivers or relatives of patients with psychotic disorders (AU)
Subject(s)
Humans , Psychotherapy, Group/methods , Family Therapy/methods , Mental Disorders/rehabilitation , Caregivers/education , Social Support , Community Mental Health Centers/organization & administration , Evaluation of the Efficacy-Effectiveness of InterventionsABSTRACT
The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of a definite schedule of treatment on the growth of children with beta-thalassemia major. Ten children (6 girls, 4 boys) participated in this longitudinal study. They were treated with transfusions to maintain the levels of hemoglobin above 10.5 g/dl from the time of diagnosis and desferrioxamine mesylate 40 mg/kg/day by subcutaneous pump, 5 days a week, during 7 +/- 1.4 years. The patients were followed up from the age at diagnosis (18.9 +/- 9.8 months) until they reached their adult bone age (19.1 +/- 1.6 and 20.8 +/- 0.8 years in girls and boys, respectively). We observed growth retardation before the age of 10 in 3 out of 4 boys and in 1 out of 6 girls. Between the ages of 10 and 15, the growth failure was evident in other children (1 boy and 2 girls), and became more marked in the above mentioned children. After the age of 15, amelioration of the growth failure was observed in relation to sexual maturity. Eight out of 10 patients attain normal stature in accordance with their target height. We had evidence of poor compliance with the chelation therapy in the 2 children of short adult stature. These patients had higher serum ferritin levels than the children with normal height within the study period: 4,461 +/- 1,469 and 1,429 +/- 479 micrograms/l respectively (p = 0.049). Our study reveals a positive effect of intensive chelation therapy on the linear growth in these patients.
