Knowledge Gain by Psychoeducation for Patients with Schizophrenia: Associations with Sociodemographic Data, Psychopathology, Insight and Global Neurocognitive Performance

Purpose: In the psychiatric hospital of the Technische Universität München a prospective intervention study (PIP II) was conducted from the year 2004 to 2006 with schizophrenic patients to investigate the knowledge gain of patients after psychoeducation.Methods: Psychoeducation was performed standardized by APES manual with eight meetings for a period of four weeks. A psychiatric and a neuropsychological assessement were carried out before and after psychoeducation. In addition, two questionnaires (Knowledge of Illness Questionnaire, Illness Concept Scale) were used. They were analysed to see to what extent the soziodemographic data, the psychopathology, the participation rate of the patients in psychoeducation, the neurocognition and the insight of the patients influence the knowledge gain.Results: Comparison of pre and post data of 62 patients showed CGI declined from 5.0 to 3.2 (p<0.000), PANSS decline from 81.8 to 54.7 (p<0.000). The knowledge increased (0–107 points possible) from 82.6 to 88.5 points (p<0.000). Severely cognitively impaired patients had a knowledge increase from 77.4 to 86.3 points and mildly cognitively impaired patients from 86.8 to 92.8 points (p=0,106). Regression analysis showed that the knowledge score before psychoeducation (p<0,000) is the strongest predictor for knowledge gain.Conclusion: Psychopathology does not limit knowledge gain. Insight into illness is not absolutely necessary for the participation in a psychoeducational group. In this study even cognitively impaired patients have been able to benefit from psychoeducation