Factors Influencing Attendees’ Engagement with Group Psychoeducation: A Multi-stakeholder Perspective

Few studies have explored the problem of engagement in relation to group psychoeducation from a multi-site and multi-stakeholder perspective. The aim of the study was to explore the factors influencing service user and family engagement with group psychoeducation programmes. The study design was qualitative descriptive. Data were collected through individual and focus group interviews with key stakeholders (n = 75) involved with the programme within 14 mental health sites in the Republic of Ireland. Enablers and barriers to engagement were identified at participant, provider, programme and organization level. Motivated participants and engaged clinicians, peer co-facilitation and support, and skilled and responsive facilitators were some of the factors which enhanced engagement. Barriers to engagement included readiness among participants, concerns related to stigma and confidentiality, desire to distance oneself from mental health services, a lack of support for programme participation within families, group discomfort, the time and length of the programme, issues with transport, visibility of the programme, and structural supports for clinicians. Findings from the study illustrate the multifaceted nature of engagement as well as provide a greater understanding of the multifactorial influences on engagement. Strategies to enhance engagement should therefore reflect a multipronged approach. At the outset of programme implementation, organizations should address their readiness to engage, conduct local needs assessments to anticipate individuals’ needs and plan accordingly in order to maximize engagement, and bolster facilitators’ engagement skills through the provision of training and mentoring opportunities.

Culturally Adapted Psychoeducation among Family Caregivers of Schizophrenic Clients: A Scoping Review

Background: As psychoeducation was originally developed from Western, this intervention should be integrated with a culture to obtain effective outcomes. However, how culturally adapted psychoeducation on family caregivers of schizophrenic client developed in previous studies has not been systematically documented. The purpose of this review was to map culturally adapted psychoeducation in previous studies. Methods: This scoping review followed Arksey & O'Malley approach. Inclusion criteria including family caregiver, culture, psychoeducation, schizophrenia. Non-primary and non-experiment studies, non-English language and non-free articles were excluded. Advanced search technique used keywords family caregiver, culture, psychoeducation, schizophrenia on CINAHL, PubMed, and PsycInfo databases. Screening was done by checking duplication, title, and abstract. Full text of relevant articles was read in detail to select eligible articles. Selection results were described in the PRISMA flow chart. Data were analyzed after these were extracted and resumed on the table. Result: A total of 8 studies were included in this review. More than half of articles used randomized control trial (RCT) but these studies did not conduct follow up. Most of studies were in Asia (6) and it conducted in the outpatient department (6). Almost all studies modified multifamily group psychoeducation with culture theories. The longest duration of intervention was 12 months. Multidiscipline health professional delivered the intervention and most of the were psychiatrist. Coping was the most family caregiver outcomes in reviewed studies. Conclusion: In conclusion, limited studies were obtained in various ethnics and ways. Further studies need to measure effectiveness of the intervention in long term effect.

Impact of Working Together for adults with autism spectrum disorder: a multifamily group intervention

Background Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have lower engagement in their communities, higher rates of unemployment/underemployment, and continued difficulties with challenging behavior compared to their neurotypical peers. Multi-family psychoeducation emphasizes education and problem-solving with the goal of improving these outcomes for the individual with the disability. Methods Using a randomized waitlist control design, the present study evaluated a multi-family group psychoeducation intervention, Working Together, for adults on the autism spectrum without intellectual disability (n = 40). Five waves of data were collected at 3-month intervals. In this design, families in the intervention condition participated in intervention during the 6 months between baseline and time 3 data collection; the waitlist control condition received the intervention immediately after the time 3 data collection. We compared these two conditions, intervention group (n = 20) vs waitlist control group (n = 20), on key outcomes for the adults with ASD: engagement in work-related activities, engagement in meaningful activities, and behavior problems. Results Results indicated medium to large effect sizes associated with the Working Together intervention across key outcomes, including adults on the spectrum experiencing significant increases in meaningful activities and decreases in internalizing problems. Although increases in work-related activities were not statistically significant, an observed one-half of a standard deviation difference from before to after the intervention indicated clinically significant change. We also found maintenance of the treatment effect through 6 months post-treatment for the intervention group and replication of the treatment effect within the control group after they received the intervention. Conclusion Working Together is a promising multi-family group psychoeducation intervention designed to improve functioning during adulthood. These findings highlight the need for more intervention services research during adulthood and specifically the need for family-centered supports.

A Real-World Study of the Association between a Brief Group Psychoeducation and the Course of Bipolar Disorder

Although pharmacotherapy is considered the first-line treatment for bipolar disorders (BD), adjunctive psychoeducation has proven its effectiveness in improving self-management of the disease and reducing relapse rates. Few studies have evaluated the effect of brief group psychoeducation on pragmatic variables, such as the number of hospitalizations. The aim of the present study was to assess the mid-term effect of a four-session group psychoeducation on course-related variables in BD. Thirty-two individuals with BD were included in the study. Sixteen were exposed to psychoeducation and were matched to sixteen nonexposed individuals who received their usual treatment. Both groups were compared on insight, treatment adherence, change in the number of hospitalizations and visits to the emergency services, occurrence rate after intervention, and time to the first psychiatric hospitalization and the first urgent attendance. There was a significant reduction in the mean number of hospitalizations and urgent attendances in the exposed group in comparison to the nonexposed group. The first urgent attendance was significantly sooner in the nonexposed cohort. There were no differences between groups in any of the other variables. This intervention has shown benefits for pragmatic variables of the disease course and may be a feasible and cost-effective intervention to routinely implement in the management of BD.