A randomized trial to assess the efficacy of a psychoeducational intervention on caregiver burden in schizophrenia.

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.

[Spanish adaptation of the Life Skills Profile. Profile of activities of daily living. Structure and factorial composition]. / Adaptación castellana de la escala LSP (Life Skills Profile). Perfil de habilidades de la vida cotidiana. Estructura y composición factorial.

The Spanish version of LSP (Life Skills Profile) including translation and its factorial structure are reported. Its has 39 items and it attempts to measure the chronic mental patient functioning in situations and tasks of everyday life. Factor analysis of this Spanish version has yield five subscales, that although they differ slightly from those proposed by the original authors, they hold strong clinical sense and also show considerable value as indicators of rehabilitative strategies.

[Study of the reliability, validity and internal consistency of the LSP scale (Life Skills Profile). Profile of activities of daily living]. / Estudio de fiabilidad, validez y consistencia interna de la escala LSP (Life Skills Profile). Perfil de habilidades de la vida cotidiana.

The LSP scale (Life Skills profile) has been recently translated and adapted into Spanish language. Its has 39 items and attempts to measure the chronic mental patient functioning in situations and tasks of everyday life. It is brief, jargon free, capable of completion by family members, community housing managers as well as professional staff. Reliability, concurrent validity and internal consistency of this Spanish version are reported. The good performance of LSP in all this measurements give support to its use in research and clinical settings.