THE EFFECTS OF A PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL GROUP ON PARENTS OF THE CHRONICALLY MENTALLY ILL.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a psycho-educational group on parents of the chronically mentally ill. The perceived quality of the parent's marital relationships, family environment, reported psychological symptoms, and knowledge of the etiology, treatment, and phenomena regarding chronic mental illness were measured for members of the treatment and comparison groups. A non-randomized comparison pretest-posttest design was employed to study the impact of participation in a psycho-educational group on the dependent variables. The treatment group (n = 18) and comparison group (n = 20) were matched on a number of demographic variables. The Dyadic Adjustment Scale, comprised of four subscales, measured the perceived quality of the parents' marital relationship. Eight of the ten subscales of the Family Environmental Scale were used to assess the family atmosphere while selected subscales of the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised assessed the parents' reported psychological symptoms. The Mental Illness Questionnaire served as an indicator of parents' knowledge of various aspects of chronic mental illness. Data were analyzed using a two-factor repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). T tests were conducted at the pretest point to ensure the comparability of the groups. Interviews were conducted at the follow-up point to obtain subjective comments regarding the impact of chronic mental illness on the family as well as an evaluation of the psycho-educational group. Findings indicated that families do increase and retain knowledge regarding chronic mental illness as a result of participating in a psycho-educational group. Some improvement was noted in the perceived quality of marital relationships for members of the treatment group. There were no identified changes in the family environment or reported psychological symptoms based solely on group participation. The individual interviews conducted at the four-week follow-up supported the belief that chronic mental illness typically has a detrimental effect on the variables studied, and that participation in a psycho-educational group serves as a valuable resource to address the family's concerns