Studies on the efficacy of psychoeducational family intervention in patients with depression and their relatives are scarce. the effectiveness of this intervention in major depression has not been adequately investigated, probably because it is considered to be less burdensome by mental health professionals compared to schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. This study aims to test the efficacy of a psychoeducational family intervention on: 1) clinical status and social functioning of patients with major depression; 2) family burden and social network. the study has been carried out in 7 Italian mental health centers; 8 families in each center were randomly recruited and allocated to receive a psychoeducational intervention or an informative one. Fourty-four families were examined: 22 from the experimental group and 22 from the control group. A significative reduction in symptoms (p < 0.05), social functioning (p < 0.05), practical burden (p < 0.01), psychological burden (p < 0.05), and an improvement of social contacts (p < 0.05) and of professional support (p < 0.01) have been observed in patients; a significant reduction of practical burden (p < 0,01) and an improvement of social contacts (p < 0.01) and professional support (p < 0.01) have been found in their relatives. the results of this study outline that psychoeducational family intervention is effective in reducing family burden, improving relationships between family members and alleviating family distress. This intervention should be included in the routine management of patients with depression and their relatives.