A total of 300 Chinese families (20 percent) who were caring for a relative with schizophrenia from these outpatient clinics were eligible to participate, provided that they met the following inclusion criteria: they lived with and cared for one relative with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia, according to DSM-IV criteria, for not more than five years (that is, their relative had less chronic illness); their relative with schizophrenia had no comorbid mental illness or substance abuse at baseline; and they were at least 18 years old and could understand the Chinese language. Potential participants were excluded if they cared for more than one family member with mental illness or if they had been the primary caregiver for less than three months. For patients with more than one caregiver, the family member who had the major caring role was indicated by the patient and recruited. Written consent was obtained from 146 families, of whom 96 (66 percent) were randomly selected and assigned to one of the three study groups: mutual support (N=32), psychoeducation (N=33), and standard care (N=31). The remaining 50 families, who had been informed about the possibility of not being selected for the study, were placed on a waiting list because of time and manpower constraints on group formation.
A total of 300 Chinese families (20 percent) who were caring for a relative with schizophrenia from these outpatient clinics were eligible to participate, provided that they met the following inclusion criteria: they lived with and cared for one relative with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia, according to DSM-IV criteria, for not more than five years (that is, their relative had less chronic illness); their relative with schizophrenia had no comorbid mental illness or substance abuse at baseline; and they were at least 18 years old and could understand the Chinese language. Potential participants were excluded if they cared for more than one family member with mental illness or if they had been the primary caregiver for less than three months. For patients with more than one caregiver, the family member who had the major caring role was indicated by the patient and recruited. Written consent was obtained from 146 families, of whom 96 (66 percent) were randomly selected and assigned to one of the three study groups: mutual support (N=32), psychoeducation (N=33), and standard care (N=31). The remaining 50 families, who had been informed about the possibility of not being selected for the study, were placed on a waiting list because of time and manpower constraints on group formation.
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