ASSESSING RELATIVES NEEDS FOR PSYCHOSOCIAL INTERVENTIONS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA - A RELATIVES VERSION OF THE CARDINAL NEEDS SCHEDULE (RCNS)

Background. The methodology for measuring the needs of patients with s evere mental illness is now well established through the MRC Needs for Care Assessment Schedule and its modification in the form of the Card inal Needs Assessment. This paper reports the rationale and constructi on of a relatives' version of the Cardinal Needs Schedule and looks at preliminary data reporting on reliability and validity. Methods. Pote ntial problem areas for relatives were identified from the literature. The criteria determining Cardinal Needs for each problem included obj ective threshold, carer concern, and carer cooperation. The reliabilit y of the Schedule was assessed in a study whereby 27 relatives of pati ents with established schizophrenic illness completed two Schedules ad ministered by two independent raters within a short time period. Resul ts. The Schedule was acceptably reliable for most areas of need althou gh there were some difficulties associated with the cooperation criter ia. Concurrent measures of relatives and patients including EE, relati ve distress and patient psychopathology indicated that the Relatives' Cardinal Needs Schedule shows acceptable validity when used with a sam ple of 45 relatives. Conclusions. The paper suggests that the Schedule may prove to be a useful tool for both clinicians and researchers int erested in establishing and evaluating family interventions.