Expressed Emotion and Schizophrenia in Italy

Abstract

Forty-two schizophrenic patients and their close relatives took part in an Italian replication study of expressed emotion (EE). The patients were selected from the psychiatric ward of a general hospital in Milan and were subsequently followed up for nine months. All patients attended a community service clinic as out-patients, and all but one were prescribed neuroleptics for the duration of the study. Relatives were assigned to the high-EE group if they scored 4 or 5 on the emotional overinvolvement (EOI) scale, or showed hostility, or made six or more critical comments. On this basis, 18 (42%) families were rated as low EE and 24 (57%) as high EE. At follow-up, the admission rate for the 9-month period was significantly higher for the high-EE group (P less than 0.05). Furthermore, significantly fewer patients were readmitted from families showing high warmth (P less than 0.05). The presence of high warmth appeared to be associated with a lower admission rate, even in high-EE families.

Prosocial Family Processes and the Quality of Life of Persons With Schizophrenia

“…Lopez and colleagues (2) have begun to identify prosocial family processes, such as the expression of warmth and positive remarks, that support clients on their road to recovery. However, research on adults with schizophrenia has been limited to studying the relationship of these prosocial behaviors to relapse (3)(4)(5). The This article is part of a special section honoring the memory of three leaders in the psychosocial treatment of patients with severe and persistent mental disorders: Wayne S. …”

Systemic Family Therapy in Schizophrenia: A Randomized Clinical Trial of Effectiveness

“…The variables were assessed on a monthly basis and were blind with respect to treatment. The assessment was made by a single psychiatrist who interviewed the patients’ treating psychiatrists following a standardized multidimensional questionnaire we had used in a previous study [12] and that we have reassessed according to the outcome measures suggested by McEvoy et al [11]. The questionnaire investigated the dysfunctional areas of perception and ideation, affectivity and emotiveness, control of impulses and behavior, hostility and compliance with treatment.…”

“…The sociodemographic characteristics of the 40 patients were evaluated (age, sex, marital status, education, profession) at t0, and the clinical variables (length of illness, number of admissions to hospital, clinical compliance, pharmacological compliance) were ascertained using a standardized questionnaire prepared by our group [12]. The information recorded was provided primarily by the treating psychiatrists, and subsequently integrated by the relatives and the patients themselves.…”

Emoción expresada y variables contextuales en padres de esquizofrénicos

“…(15) YBertrando el al. (37) nos muestran como los parámetros de EE pueden ser aplicados a la población italiana realizando, tan solo, una pequeña adaptación Emoción expresada en padres de esquizofrénicos ORIGINALES Y REVISIONES motivada por los factores étnicos, culturales y sociales muy diferentes de los observados en el origen del constructo. Dicha adaptación se basó en la elevación del punto de corte de SIE (de 3 a 4) lo que permitió que la tasa de readmisiones hospitalarias en pacientes de hogares altos en EE fuese significativamente mayor que la observada en los bajos en EE.…”

“…Además, describen Bertrando el al. (37) que los familiares altos en calor (puntuación de 4 a 5), tanto del grupo alto en EE como del grupo bajo en dicho constructo, tienen menores tasas de recaídas. Resultado este que ya fue observado en los trabajos originales de EE.…”