Background
Schizophrenia can be a severe and chronic illness characterised by lack of insight and poor compliancewith treatment. Psychoeducational
approaches have been developed to increase patients’ knowledge of, and insight into, their illness and its treatment. It is supposed that
this increased knowledge and insight will enable people with schizophrenia to cope in a more effective way with their illness, thereby
improving prognosis.
Objectives
To assess the effects of psychoeducational interventions compared with standard levels of knowledge provision.
Search methods
We searched the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group Trials Register (February 2010).
We updated this search November 2012 and added 27 new trials to the awaiting assessment section.
Selection criteria
All relevant randomised controlled trials focusing on psychoeducation for schizophrenia and/or related seriousmental illnesses involving
individuals or groups. We excluded quasi-randomised trials.
Data collection and analysis
At least two review authors extracted data independently from included papers. We contacted authors of trials for additional and
missing data. We calculated risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of homogeneous dichotomous data. We used a fixedeffects
model for heterogeneous dichotomous data. Where possible we also calculated the numbers needed to treat (NNT), as well as
weighted means for continuous data.
Main results
This review includes a total of 5142 participants (mostly inpatients) from 44 trials conducted between 1988 and 2009 (median study
duration ~ 12 weeks, risk of bias - moderate). We found that incidences of non-compliance were lower in the psychoeducation group
in the short term (n = 1400, RR 0.52 CI 0.40 to 0.67, NNT 11 CI 9 to 16). This finding holds for the medium and long term.
Relapse appeared to be lower in psychoeducation group (n = 1214, RR 0.70 CI 0.61 to 0.81, NNT 9 CI 7 to 14) and this also
Psychoeducation for schizophrenia (Revie