THE SALFORD FAMILY INTERVENTION PROJECT - RELAPSE RATES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA AT 5 AND 8 YEARS

Background. This study assessed the long-term effects of family interv ention on schizophrenic relapse. Method. Forty schizophrenic patients who had participated in a family intervention trial and who had not ex perienced relapse at two years after discharge from the index admissio n were traced through case notes and hospital records. The percentage of patients experiencing a relapse was estimated for patients in the f amily intervention group, the high-EE control group, and the low-EE co ntrol group, at five years and eight years after discharge. Results. T here were significantly fewer relapses in the family intervention grou p than in the high-EE control group at both five years and eight years . The number of relapses in the low-EE control group was lower than in the high-EE control group, but this just failed to reach significance . Conclusions. The benefit of family intervention and the predictive p ower of EE are sustained over eight years.