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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 

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