Family burden and coping strategies in schizophrenia: are key relatives really different to other relatives?

Subjective and objective burden, psychiatric symptoms and coping strategies in a sample of 90 key relatives and other relatives of patients with schiz ophrenia, living in two European countries, were explored by means of well- validated questionnaires. The levels of burden on key relatives did not dif fer significantly from those on other relatives. Moreover, the risk of deve loping psychiatric symptoms was similar in the two subject groups at both c entres. Significant correlations were found between key relatives and other relatives concerning the adoption of emotion-focused coping strategies. Th ese data contrast with the current belief that family burden in schizophren ia is mainly a burden of key relatives, and they emphasize the need to prov ide supportive interventions for as many relatives as possible.