psychological treatment: family therapy Flashcards
what is the aim of family therapy?
to reduce levels of expressed emotion and stress and therefore increase the capacity of relatives to solve related problems. ultimately- to reduce relapse rates.
it provides family members with information and advice on SZ and help with overcoming practical problems
does family therapy decrease relapse rates?
yes: research shows relapse is likely to be higher if a patient’s family is highly hostile or critical
Garety et al: relapse rates for those who receive family therapy is 25% compared to 50% for patients who just receive standard care
what are some of the strategies of family therapy?
- psychoeducation: teaching and advising the family members about the disorder
- encourage family members to listen and discuss things together more
- maintain reasonable expectations for patient performace
- reducing expressions of anger/guilt from family members
how long does family therapy last?
10 sessions for a period of between 3 and 12 months
What did Pharoah et al do and find?
Looked into 53 studies of the effectiveness of family therapy between 2002-10, and compared to the effectiveness of standard care.
findings;
mental state- different studies found different things. some said therapy was more effective in improving mental state, others said it was drugs
compliance with medicine- family therapy increases medicine compliance
social functioning- family therapy increases general functioning, but not ore concrete areas such as employment
relapse- patients rehospitilisation rates decreased during treatment and for 24 months afterwards.
evaluation- is family therapy effective?
yes: shown by pharoah’s key study. it improves clinical outcomes such as general functioning and mental state which is undoubtedly beneficial and helps to decrease relapse rates/characteristics of schizophrenia. however, the researchers concluded that the main reason it is beneficial/effective is because it increases compliance for medicine. Therefore, on its own (i.e. if the patient wasn’t also taking medication) it may not have the same effectiveness
evaluation- does family therapy help others?
yes- it is beneficial for both the patient and the family members. Lobban et al analysed results of 50 family therapy studies that had included an intervention to support family members. it was found that 60% of these cases reported a positive impact on at least one outcome category for relatives, such as coping/problem solving and relationship quality/EE. main aim of psychology is to help people.
however: researchers showed that the methodological quality of these studies was poor, and so it is hard to distinguish between effective and non effective interventions
evaluation- is family therapy worth it?
Yes- effective, and reduction in re-hospitalisation saves money
No- Garety et al found no better outcomes for patients who underwent therapy compared with patients who didnt have therapy but had carers. Both had low relapse rates. Carers had low levels of EE. concluded that a good standard of treatment has the same benefits/effectiveness as therapy without the expense
