OBJECTIVE: It is known that relatives of the patients with schizophrenia tend to hide the illness from other people, are ashamed of their patients, and feel excluded from society. This situation is referred as self-stigmatization of families, and it may negatively affect the family functioning and therapeutic alliance. Assessing and evaluating the self-stigma of families are essential concerning family therapies and treatment of their patients. The purpose of this study is to develop a culturally sensitive inventory for the assessment of self-stigmatization for families of patients with schizophrenia in Turkey. METHODS: After examining the studies in the related field and conducting a focus group interview with the families of the patients with schizophrenia, a 19-item inventory was formed. One hundred and six relatives of the patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder were given a sociodemographic form, Self-Stigma Inventory for Families (SSI-F), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale (ZCBS). Explanatory factor analysis and convergent validity were assessed as validity analysis, and internal consistency coefficient, item-total correlation, and test-retest reliability were calculated for reliability analysis. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 106 relatives whose 52% were female, 77% were married, mean age was 51 years, and level of education was 9 years. In explanatory factor analysis, three factors (social withdrawal, concealment of the illness, and perceived devaluation) with 14 items were detected, and the factors could explain 66.8% of the total variance. SSI-F was significantly correlated with Beck Depression Inventory (r = 0.48, P < 0.01), Beck Hopelessness Scale (r = 0.27, P < 0.01), Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale (r = 0.54, P < 0.01), and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (r = −0.35, P < 0.01). Cronbach's alpha coefficient for SSI-F total score was calculated as 0.88, and test-retest reliability coefficient of SSI-F was 0.93. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the SSI-F is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing self-stigmatization in the families of patients with schizophrenia. It can be considered as a valuable instrument to use for research and therapeutic purposes. ARTICLE HISTORY

Öz. Cinsel istismar her toplumda, yaş ve cinsiyet ayrımı olmaksızın görülebilmekle birlikte zihinsel yetersizliği olan bireyler cinsel istismar konusunda risk grupları içerisinde yer almaktadır. Çalışmamızda zihinsel yetersizliği olan bireylere yönelik cinsel istismar olaylarının ulusal haber ajanslarına yansıyan olgular üzerinden incelenmesi amaçlanmaktadır. Çalışmada nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden doküman incelemesi kullanıldı. Bu kapsamda ulusal haber ajanslarının arşivlerinde belirlenen anahtar kelimelerle tarama yapıldı. Ulaşılan olgular içerik analizi yöntemiyle çözümlendi. Frekans analizleri SPSS 22.0 paket programı kullanılarak gerçekleştirildi.Olguların çoğunluğunun 12-17 yaş aralığındaki kadınlardan oluştuğu görüldü. Cinsel istismara maruz kalma oranın %50 ve üstü engel düzeyine sahip bireylerde daha yüksek olduğu belirlendi. İstismarcıların tamamına yakını erkek ve zihinsel yetersizliği olan bireyin daha önceden tanıdığı kişilerdi. Mağdurun yetersizlik durumunu kullanarak gerçekleştirilen cinsel istismar oranları, fiziksel şiddet kullanarak gerçekleştirilenlerden fazlaydı. Çalışmamızda cinsel istismar olaylarının ergenlik döneminde daha sık görüldüğünün belirlenmesi ve zihinsel yetersizliği olan bireylerin engel durumunu kullanarak gerçekleştirilen olayların çoğunlukta olması; bireylerin cinsel istismara yönelik farkındalıklarını geliştirmeyi hedefleyen cinsel eğitim programlarına duyulan gereksinimi ortaya koymaktadır.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of Psychosocial Skills Training (PSST) and Metacognitive Training (MCT) programs on general psychopathology, cognitive functioning, and social functioning in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Twenty patients with schizophrenia who were treated at the Kocaeli University Psychiatry Department outpatient clinic between January and June 2016, accepted to participate in the study and met inclusion criteria were included in this study. Patients were randomized as two groups of 10 people. The management of each group was carried out by a trainer and a co-trainer. The Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) and Clinical Global Impression Scale-Severity (CGI-S) to assess psychopathology, the General Assessment of Functioning (GAF) and the Quality of Life Scale in Schizophrenia (QoLS) to assess social functioning, the Cognitive Assessment Interview (CAI) to assess cognitive functioning were used by the clinicians blinding to groups in the first two weeks before and after the intervention. After the training, first and last test scale scores were compared. Results: All patients who participated in the study completed the study (male: 13, female: 7). There was no significant difference in age, gender, marital status, years of education, duration of illness, the age of onset, and the number of hospitalizations in comparison of individual and clinical characteristics of the groups (p>0.05). When the scores were compared of the groups before and after the intervention, there was a significant difference concerning psychopathology, social and cognitive functioning in both groups (p<0.05). There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of effect size. Conclusion: The study showed that both programs aiming to improve psychopathology and functioning in the treatment of schizophrenia have positive results. Improvement in cognitive functioning should also be tested by neurocognitive tests in the large-scale studies with control groups.

No abstract

No abstract