search
Back to results

Effectiveness of Family Group Interventions for People With Schizophrenia (MSG)

Primary Purpose

Schizophrenia

Status
Completed
Phase
Phase 2
Locations
Hong Kong
Study Type
Interventional
Intervention
mutual support group
psychoeducation group
Standard care
Sponsored by
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
About
Eligibility
Locations
Arms
Outcomes
Full info

About this trial

This is an interventional health services research trial for Schizophrenia focused on measuring mutual support group, psychoeducation group, family caregivers, schizophrenia

Eligibility Criteria

18 Years - 50 Years (Adult)All SexesAccepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion Criteria:

  • family caregivers lived with and cared for one family member diagnosed with schizophrenia according to the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994)
  • family caregivers were at least 18 years of age and could understand and read the Chinese (Mandarin) language; and
  • family caregivers were free from any mental illness themselves.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • the patients with schizophrenia suffered no co-morbidity due to other mental illness during recruitment to the study
  • family caregivers cared for more than one family member with mental or chronic physical illness; and/or
  • family caregivers had been the primary carers for less than three months

Sites / Locations

  • Li Ka Shing Specialty OPD
  • AHNH Psychiatric OPD

Arms of the Study

Arm 1

Arm 2

Arm 3

Arm Type

Other

Experimental

Active Comparator

Arm Label

standard care

mutual support group

psychoeducation group

Arm Description

Families receive routine community and family mental health care services

bi-weekly, 12-session, family-led mutual support group

bi-weekly, 12-session, family psychoeducation group program

Outcomes

Primary Outcome Measures

length of re-hospitalizations

Secondary Outcome Measures

families' perceived social support
patients' symptom severity

Full Information

First Posted
July 15, 2009
Last Updated
August 19, 2014
Sponsor
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
search

1. Study Identification

Unique Protocol Identification Number
NCT00940394
Brief Title
Effectiveness of Family Group Interventions for People With Schizophrenia
Acronym
MSG
Official Title
Evaluation of the Effects of Mutual Support and Psycho-educational Group Interventions for Family Caregivers of People With Schizophrenia
Study Type
Interventional

2. Study Status

Record Verification Date
August 2014
Overall Recruitment Status
Completed
Study Start Date
January 2007 (undefined)
Primary Completion Date
September 2011 (Actual)
Study Completion Date
December 2011 (Actual)

3. Sponsor/Collaborators

Responsible Party, by Official Title
Principal Investigator
Name of the Sponsor
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

4. Oversight

Data Monitoring Committee
Yes

5. Study Description

Brief Summary
The mutual support group intervention would significantly improve the families' burden of care, functioning and social support, reduce the patients' severity of symptoms and re-hospitalizations, and reduce the demands for utilization of family services, when compared with the standard care group.
Detailed Description
Family interventions in schizophrenia have shown positive effects on patients but little attention has been paid to their effects on family members, particularly those in non-Western countries. This multi-site randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of a bi-weekly, 12-session, family-led mutual support group for Chinese caregivers of schizophrenia sufferers over 36 months, compared with a family psychoeducation group program and standard psychiatric care. It was conducted with 114 families of outpatients with schizophrenia in Hong Kong of whom 38 were assigned randomly to a mutual support group, a psychoeducation group, or standard care. Families' psychosocial health status and patients' symptom severity and length of re-hospitalizations at recruitment, one-month, 18-month, and 36-month post-intervention were compared between groups.

6. Conditions and Keywords

Primary Disease or Condition Being Studied in the Trial, or the Focus of the Study
Schizophrenia
Keywords
mutual support group, psychoeducation group, family caregivers, schizophrenia

7. Study Design

Primary Purpose
Health Services Research
Study Phase
Phase 2
Interventional Study Model
Parallel Assignment
Masking
Outcomes Assessor
Allocation
Randomized
Enrollment
128 (Actual)

8. Arms, Groups, and Interventions

Arm Title
standard care
Arm Type
Other
Arm Description
Families receive routine community and family mental health care services
Arm Title
mutual support group
Arm Type
Experimental
Arm Description
bi-weekly, 12-session, family-led mutual support group
Arm Title
psychoeducation group
Arm Type
Active Comparator
Arm Description
bi-weekly, 12-session, family psychoeducation group program
Intervention Type
Behavioral
Intervention Name(s)
mutual support group
Other Intervention Name(s)
FMSG
Intervention Description
bi-weekly, 12-session, family-led mutual support group
Intervention Type
Behavioral
Intervention Name(s)
psychoeducation group
Other Intervention Name(s)
FPGP
Intervention Description
bi-weekly, 12-session, family psychoeducation group
Intervention Type
Other
Intervention Name(s)
Standard care
Other Intervention Name(s)
Usual psychiatric care
Intervention Description
Routine mental health care services provided by the outpatient clinic and related agencies for families of people with schizophrenia
Primary Outcome Measure Information:
Title
length of re-hospitalizations
Time Frame
at recruitment, six-month, 18-month and 36-month post-intervention
Secondary Outcome Measure Information:
Title
families' perceived social support
Time Frame
at recruitment, six-month, 18-month and 36-month post-intervention
Title
patients' symptom severity
Time Frame
at recruitment, six-month, 18-month and 36-month post-intervention

10. Eligibility

Sex
All
Minimum Age & Unit of Time
18 Years
Maximum Age & Unit of Time
50 Years
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria: family caregivers lived with and cared for one family member diagnosed with schizophrenia according to the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) family caregivers were at least 18 years of age and could understand and read the Chinese (Mandarin) language; and family caregivers were free from any mental illness themselves. Exclusion Criteria: the patients with schizophrenia suffered no co-morbidity due to other mental illness during recruitment to the study family caregivers cared for more than one family member with mental or chronic physical illness; and/or family caregivers had been the primary carers for less than three months
Overall Study Officials:
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
Chien Wai-Tong, PhD
Organizational Affiliation
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Official's Role
Principal Investigator
Facility Information:
Facility Name
Li Ka Shing Specialty OPD
City
Sha Tin
State/Province
NT
Country
Hong Kong
Facility Name
AHNH Psychiatric OPD
City
Taipo
State/Province
NT
Country
Hong Kong

12. IPD Sharing Statement

Citations:
PubMed Identifier
18584319
Citation
Chien WT, Thompson DR, Norman I. Evaluation of a peer-led mutual support group for Chinese families of people with schizophrenia. Am J Community Psychol. 2008 Sep;42(1-2):122-34. doi: 10.1007/s10464-008-9178-8.
Results Reference
result
PubMed Identifier
23820670
Citation
Chien WT, Thompson DR. An RCT with three-year follow-up of peer support groups for Chinese families of persons with schizophrenia. Psychiatr Serv. 2013 Oct;64(10):997-1005. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201200243.
Results Reference
result
PubMed Identifier
23433723
Citation
Chien WT, Chan SW. The effectiveness of mutual support group intervention for Chinese families of people with schizophrenia: a randomised controlled trial with 24-month follow-up. Int J Nurs Stud. 2013 Oct;50(10):1326-40. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2013.01.004. Epub 2013 Feb 19.
Results Reference
result
PubMed Identifier
30618880
Citation
Chien WT, Bressington D, Chan SWC. A Randomized Controlled Trial on Mutual Support Group Intervention for Families of People With Recent-Onset Psychosis: A Four-Year Follow-Up. Front Psychiatry. 2018 Dec 18;9:710. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00710. eCollection 2018.
Results Reference
derived
Links:
URL
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2582821/pdf/TONURSJ-2-28.pdf
Description
Effectiveness of Psychoeducation and Mutual Support Group Program for Family Caregivers of Chinese People with Schizophrenia

Learn more about this trial

Effectiveness of Family Group Interventions for People With Schizophrenia

We'll reach out to this number within 24 hrs