Multifamily educational intervention in schizophrenia:II. Illness-related knowledge and mutual support in relation to outcome

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Abstract
The education program for relatives of patients with schizophrenic disorders held at our department consists of six 2-h sessions. Each session comprises a structured presentation in lecture-style form of general knowledge about schizophrenia and an unstructured part aimed at facilitating socialization among the participants and the sharing of personal experience. The aim of the present study was to examine the possible relative contribution of acquired knowledge, of satisfaction with the program, and of perceived support for changes in outcome variables. The findings of the study indicated that both the specific content of the intervention - that is, the amount of acquired knowledge - and the informal“non-specific” factors implicit in the sessions contributed to modification of critical attitudes, emotional overinvolvement, and perceived burden of the illness.