Background:
Brief family intervention may have a positive impact on family caregivers to patients with mental disorders. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of a group psycho-educational program on family caregivers to patients with schizophrenia and mood disorders.MethodThis randomized controlled trial was performed on 100 caregivers to patients with mental disorders attending Isfahan Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Isfahan, Iran. 100 family caregivers of patients with schizophrenia (n=50) and mood disorders (n=50) were selected and assigned randomly to either a psycho-educational group intervention or routine care in each diagnosis category. The caregivers were followed up for a period of 3 months. Caregiver burden was assessed using the Zarit Burden Interview.
Results:
The burden decreased significantly in the group that participated in the psycho-educational program. The mean scores of the Zarit caregiver burden scale decreased, while scores in the control group did not change significantly.
Conclusion:
This group intervention program was effective for the Iranian studied population to reduce the caregiver burden in both categories of mental disorder. It may potentially improve the quality of life of both patients and caregivers by improving the standards of care giving.