Almost all family interventions can prevent relapse in schizophrenia

Almost all family intervention models can prevent relapse in schizophrenia, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the March issue of The Lancet Psychiatry.

Alessandro Rodolico, M.D., from the University of Catania in Italy, and colleagues conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis to examine family intervention models aimed at preventing relapse in patients with schizophrenia. Eleven family intervention models tested via a total of 90 randomized controlled trials with 10,340 participants were compared in the network meta-analysis.

The researchers found that with the exception of crisis-oriented interventions and family psychoeducation with two sessions or fewer, compared with treatment as usual, all interventions reduced the rate of relapse significantly at the primary time point of 12 months. Compared with treatment as usual, the odds ratios varied from 0.18 to 0.63 for family psychoeducation alone and community-based interventions involving family members, respectively. In various sensitivity and subgroup analyses, the results were robust. For different comparisons, the confidence in the estimates ranged from moderate to very low.

"These findings should be taken into consideration for future clinical guidelines," the authors write. "In particular, in the context of limited resources, family psychoeducation alone should be offered as a simple but highly effective tool."