SCHIZOPHRENIA - SUBJECTIVE ILLNESS CONCEPTS - AN EXPLORATORY-STUDY .2. RELATIVES

The growing acceptance of Zubin's vulnerability-stressor-modell in res earch and clinical practice stresses the importance of schizophrenic p atients individual coping strategies. Coping strategies are influenced not only by individual cognitions concerning the actual illness but a lso by opinions of key-persons within the social network of the patien t. Research on the acquisition of patients subjective view of the schi zophrenic illness has to integrate both the individual psychological r essources as well as the social context variables. The present paper r eports about in depth open interviews with six patients and their key relatives. The results were derived from a structural analysis of the tape-recorded and transcribed interviews. Patients showed a broad vari ety of etiological explanations of their illness and expressed a need for more comprehensive information (part 1). Parents stated a more pes simistic prognosis of the course of illness than patients. Both patien ts and parents complained about the lack of mutual communication about the illness and its symptoms (part 2). Implications of these results concerning psychoeducational programs for patients and families as wel l are discussed.