Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T10:12:03.876Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Training Community Psychiatric Nurses for Psychosocial Intervention

Report of a Pilot Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Charles Brooker*
Affiliation:
Department of Nursing, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT
Nicholas Tarrier
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Badham Clinic, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
Christine Barrowclough
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of South Wales, PO Box 1, Kennington, New South Wales 2033, Australia
Anthony Butterworth
Affiliation:
Department of Nursing, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT
David Goldberg
Affiliation:
Withington Hospital, Nell Lane, Manchester
*
Correspondence

Abstract

Community psychiatric nurses were trained to deliver psychosocial intervention to clients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia living at home with relatives. The training package consisted of family assessment, health education, and family stress management strategies. In a ‘quasi-experimental’ design, a sample of families (n = 54) were recruited to either a control or experimental condition and followed up for 12 months. A number of favourable outcomes were observed in the experimental group, including improvements in the client's target symptoms, personal functioning, and social adjustment. Relatives' satisfaction with services increased and reports of their own minor psychiatric morbidity improved.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Atkinson, J. (1989) To tell or not to tell the diagnosis of schizophrenia. British Journal of Medical Ethics, 15, 2124.Google Scholar
Barrowclough, C. & Tarrier, N. (1984) Psychosocial interventions with families and their effects on the course of schizophrenia. Psychological Medicine, 146, 629642.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barrowclough, C. & Tarrier, N. (1987) A behavioural family intervention with a schizophrenic patient: a case study. Behavioural Psychotherapy, 15, 252272.Google Scholar
Birchwood, M. (1983) Family Coping Behaviour and the Course of Schizophrenia. Unpublished PhD Thesis: University of Birmingham.Google Scholar
Brooker, C. (1985) The National Survey of Community Psychiatric Nursing Services. Leeds: Community Psychiatric Nursing Association Publications.Google Scholar
Brooker, C. (1987) An investigation into the factors influencing variation in the growth of community psychiatric nursing services. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 12, 367375.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brooker, C. (1990a) Expressed emotion and psychosocial intervention: a review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 27, 267275.Google Scholar
Brooker, C. (1990b) The application of the concept of expressed emotion to the role of the community psychiatric nurse. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 27, 276285.Google Scholar
Brooker, C. & Butterworth, C. (1991) Training community psychiatric nurses to undertake psychosocial intervention: changes in role. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 28, 189200.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burns, T. (1990) Community ward rounds. Health Trends, 2, 6263.Google Scholar
Campbell, D. & Stanley, J. (1963) Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for research on teaching. In The Handbook of Research in Teaching (ed. Gage, N.). Chicago: Rand-McNally.Google Scholar
Cohen, C. & Sokolovsky, J. (1978) Schizophrenia and social networks: ex-patients in the inner city. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 4, 546560.Google Scholar
Creer, C. & Wing, J. (1975) Living with a schizophrenic patient. British Journal of Hospital Medicine, 14, 73.Google Scholar
Department of Health (1990) The Care Programme Approach for People with a Mental Illness Referred to the Specialist Psychiatric Services, HC(90)23/LASSL/(90)11. London: DoH.Google Scholar
Donlon, P., Rada, R. & Arora, K. (1976) Depression and the reintegration phase of schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 133, 12651268.Google Scholar
Falloon, I., Boyd, J. & McGill, C. (1984) The Family Care of Schizophrenia. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Falloon, I., Boyd, J., McGill, C. et al (1985) Family management in the prevention of morbidity of schizophrenia. Archives of General Psychiatry, 42, 887896.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Falloon, I. & Shanahan, W. (1990) Community management of schizophrenia. British Journal of Hospital Medicine, 43, 6266.Google Scholar
Gibbons, J., Horn, S., Powell, J., et al (1984) Schizophrenic patients and their families: a survey in a psychiatric service based on a DGH unit. British Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 7077.Google Scholar
Goldberg, D. (1985) Implementation of mental health policies in the north west of England. In The Provision of Mental Health Services in Britain: The Way Ahead (eds Wilkinson, G. & Freeman, H.). London: Gaskell Press.Google Scholar
Goldberg, D. & Hillier, V. (1978) A scaled version of the general health questionnaire. Psychological Medicine, 9, 139146.Google Scholar
Hatfield, A. (1979) Help-seeking behaviour in families of schizophrenics. American Journal of Community Psychiatry, 7, 563569.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hogarty, G. (1984) Depot neuroleptics. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 45, 3642.Google Scholar
Hogarty, G., Anderson, C., Reiss, D., et al (1986) Family psychoeducation, social skills training and maintenance chemotherapy in the aftercare treatment of schizophrenia. Archives of General Psychiatry, 43, 633642.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Holden, D. & Lewine, R. (1982) How families evaluate mental health professionals, resources and effects of illness. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 8, 626633.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hunter, P. (1978) Schizophrenia and Community Psychiatric Nursing. Kingston-Upon-Thames: National Schizophrenia Fellowship.Google Scholar
Krawiecka, M., Goldberg, D. & Vaughan, M. (1977) A standardised psychiatric assessment scale for chronic psychotic patients. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 55, 299308.Google Scholar
Kulhara, P., Avasthi, A., Chadda, R., et al (1989) Negative and depressive symptoms in schizophrenia. British Journal of Psychiatry, 154, 207211.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lazarus, R. (1966) Psychosocial Stress and the Coping Process. New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Lebow, J. (1982) Consumer satisfaction with mental health treatment. Psychological Bulletin, 91, 244259.Google Scholar
Left, J., Kuipers, L., Berkowitz, R., et al (1982) A controlled trial of social intervention in the families of schizophrenic patients. British Journal of Psychiatry, 141, 121134.Google Scholar
National Schizophrenia Fellowship (1990) Provision of Community Services for Mentally Ill People and their Carers. Kingston-Upon-Thames: National Schizophrenia Fellowship.Google Scholar
Parker, G., Johnston, P. & Hayward, L. (1988) Parental “expressed emotion” as a predictor of schizophrenic relapse. Archives of General Psychiatry, 45, 806813.Google Scholar
Sandford, J. (1976) Schizophrenia – an end to relapse. Nursing Times, 18 March, 418420.Google Scholar
Scott, E., Sharma, S. & Temple, K. (1977) Care of the schizophrenic patient. Nursing Times, 19 May, 740741.Google Scholar
Scottish Schizophrenia Research Group (1985) First episode schizophrenia IV. Psychiatric and social impact on the family. British Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 340345.Google Scholar
Simmons, S. & Brooker, C. (1986) Community Psychiatric Nursing: A Social Perspective. London: Heinemann.Google Scholar
Sladden, S. (1979) Psychiatric Nursing in the Community: A Study of a Working Situation. Edinburgh: Churchill-Livingstone.Google Scholar
Smith, J. & Birchwood, M. (1990) Relatives and patients as partners in the management of schizophrenia: the development of a service model. British Journal of Psychiatry, 156, 654660.Google Scholar
Spaniol, L., Zipple, A. & Fitzgerald, S. (1984) How professionals can share power with families: a practical approach to working with families of the mentally ill. Psychosocial Rehabilitation Journal, 8, 7784.Google Scholar
Spaniol, L., Jung, H., Zipple, A., et al (1987) Families as a resource in the rehabilitation of the severely psychiatrically disabled. In Families of the Mentally Ill (eds Hatfield, A. & Leffley, H.). London: Cassell Educational.Google Scholar
Stirling, J., Tantam, D., Thomas, P., et al (1991) Expressed emotion and early onset schizophrenia: a one year follow up. Psychological Medicine, 21, 675685.Google Scholar
Strachan, A. (1986) Family intervention for the rehabilitation of schizophrenia: towards protection and coping. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 12, 678698.Google Scholar
Suy, E., Woestenborghs, R. & Heykants, J. (1982) Bioavailability and clinical effects of two different concentrations of haloperidol decanoate. Current Therapeutic Research, 31, 982991.Google Scholar
Tarrier, N. & Barrowclough, C. (1986) Providing information to relatives about schizophrenia: some comments. British Journal of Psychiatry, 149, 458463.Google Scholar
Tarrier, N. & Barrowclough, C., Vaughn, C., et al (1988) The community management of schizophrenia: a controlled trial of a behavioural intervention with families to reduce relapse. British Journal of Psychiatry, 153, 532542.Google Scholar
Tyrer, P., Hawksworth, J., Hobbs, R., et al (1990) The role of the community psychiatric nurse. British Journal of Hospital Medicine, 43, 439442.Google Scholar
Vaughn, C. (1989) Annotation: expressed emotion in family relationships. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 30, 1322.Google Scholar
Vaughn, C. & Leff, J. (1976) The influence of family and social factors on the course of psychiatric illness. British Journal of Psychiatry, 129, 125137.Google Scholar
White, E. (1990) The Third National Quinquennial Survey of Community Psychiatric Nursing Services. Leeds: CPNA Publications.Google Scholar
Wooff, K., Goldberg, D. & Fryers, T. (1988) The practice of community psychiatric nursing and mental health social work in Sal ford. British Journal of Psychiatry, 152, 783792.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.