An interventional study of Online Family Education and Customary care in Schizophrenia, sponsored by University of California, Los Angeles. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2016-09-09.
Sponsored by University of California, Los Angeles · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This study evaluated the benefits of providing relatives of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia the opportunity to interact with each other using the Internet. It was hypothesized that patients whose relatives had access to the internet intervention would have reduced symptoms and greater community tenure, compared to their counterparts who did not have relative access to the internet education and support program. We also collected information on how frequently the relatives used the website and how well they liked its features.
Although psychoeducational programs for schizophrenia can reduce patient relapse rates and reduce family distress, participation rates are often low. This study evaluated an online model to provide the families of schizophrenia patients with knowledge of illness management to reduce family burden and increase perceived social support.
Relatives of patients with schizophrenia who received 12 months of customary care with access to the educational website for the first year were compared to matched group of relatives of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia who were receiving customary care and who consented to participate in a family education program. In the education condition, relatives were provided with private, secure access to the website, which features family-to-family chat capabilities, video lectures on the management of schizophrenia, written materials on important issues in schizophrenia management, professionally facilitated online discussions of the material, and additional resource links.
Relatives were assessed using 90-minute interviews at the beginning of the project and every 6 months for 12 months. The interviews were used to assess the family member's perception of the patient's symptoms, his or her knowledge of the illness, the illness's impact on the family member, and his or her perception of the website intervention.
Patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were also asked to complete interviews and assessments at the beginning of the project and every 6 months for 12 months. The assessments include questions about symptoms, medication compliance and side effects, hospitalizations, and social functioning.
The major hypotheses were that relative participation in the online program would be associated with lower symptoms rates and hospitalizations in the patients.
3,471 studies on the registry are indexed under Schizophrenia; 472 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 42 is below the median of 70 across 2,872 interventional studies indexed under Schizophrenia.
Browse Schizophrenia studies →University of California, Los Angeles is the lead sponsor of 1,142 studies on the registry; 192 are open to participants now.
Of its 91 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 66 (73%) have results posted.
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Inclusion Criteria for Patients:
Inclusion Criteria for Relatives:
12 months of patient customary care
Behavioral: Customary care
12 months of patient customary care and relative access to online education and support program
Behavioral: Online Family Education · Behavioral: Customary care
Families were provided with private, secure access to the website, which features family-to-family chat capabilities, video lectures on the management of schizophrenia, written materials on important issues in schizophrenia management, professionally facilitated online discussions of the material, and additional resource links.
Participants received care as usual.
Patient BPRS Total Score
Mean total of Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale Score ( BPRS; adapted in Ventura et al, 1993) rated through patient interview. Range is 1-7, with high scores indicating more psychopathology.
Time frame: baseline, 6 month, 12 month
Patient Hospitalization
Yes/No classification of hospitalization using all sources of data collected in the year
Time frame: 12 months of study
BPRS Psychosis Subscale Score
Mean total of Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale psychosis subscale Score ( BPRS; adapted in Ventura et al, 1993) rated through patient interview. Range is 1-7, with high scores indicating more psychopathology.
Time frame: baseline, 6 month, 12 month
Relative Anxiety on the BSI
Relative self-report on the anxiety subscale of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI; Derogatis, 1993). Range is 1-5, with high scores indicating more anxiety.
Time frame: baseline, 6 months, 12 months
This study is completed, as verified in Sep 2016. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University of California, Los Angeles