The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a short-term model of intervention on diagnosed schizophrenic patients and their caregivers. The author implemented an in-home ten session educational, behavioral and skills training program, which was adapted from existing models. The intervention's effects on the patient's clinical status and social functioning, caregiver attitudes, and family stress were evaluated using a multiple baseline across four cases, as well as pre-, post-, and follow-up data. / Results largely supported the existing literature in that reductions of family stress, which occurred in two cases, were associated with decreases in negative attitudes of the caregiver toward the patient. Also, for all patients, intervention was associated with a clinically significant improvement in symptomatology that was maintained at follow-up. No clear pattern of change was noted in patients' social adjustment. / This study demonstrated that it is feasible to integrate several of the existing models of family-based intervention, and implement it successfully without a large research staff and grant money. It replicates much of the data that suggests short-term interventions seem to be most appropriate with patients with good premorbid functioning. It also added support to research that correlates caregiver attitudes with family stress. Finally, this study expanded the empirical validation of the behavioral, educational and skills training approaches by achieving positive outcomes with patients not recently discharged from an inpatient facility. Among the major limitations noted were the study's unknown generalizability and the possibility of measurement error. In addition to describing and discussing the study in detail, its particular relevance to social work is reviewed, and future directions for research and clinical practice are suggested. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-10, Section: A, page: 2727. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77773 |
| Contributors | BENTLEY, KIA J., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 252 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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