NCT02893007

A Brief Family-centered Care Program for Bipolar Disorder

A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Brief Family-centered Care Program for Hospitalized Patients With Bipolar Disorder and Their Caregivers

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 47 (actual)
• Sponsor: Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan · Other Government
• Sex: All
• Age: 15 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Family interventions have been emphasized in the treatment of BPD and have benefits for patients' symptoms and health; however, the effects of family interventions on family function and caregivers' health-related outcomes have not been well investigated. This randomized controlled trial with 47 hospitalized patient-with-BPD/family-caregiver dyads at a medical center in northern Taiwan compared the effects of a brief family-centered care (BFCC) program with treatment-as-usual (TAU). The findings support both the feasibility of using the BFCC program for inpatients and its specific benefits for family function. An intensive family intervention during hospitalization has been suggested in psychiatric practice to support patients with BPD and family caregivers.

Detailed description

All of the family caregivers in two groups were invited to attend a routine 60-minute family discussion group about violence and suicide prevention. The TAU group without specific family interview for patient and family caregiver dyad. In the BFCC group, four 90-minute BFCC program sessions were additionally provided twice a week for each hospitalized family dyad. It was hypothesized that family caregivers in the BFCC group could primary increase their family function, and secondary improve perceived health status and reduce caregiver's burdens compared to the TAU. The results showed family caregivers in the BFCC group significant time group interaction effects in overall family function (p=0.03) and subscale-conflict (p=0.04), communication (p=0.01), and problem solving (p=0.04), but there were no significant interaction effects on the caregivers' perceived health status and caregiver's burdens.

Conditions

• Bipolar Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Brief family-centered care (BFCC) program	The therapist provided the 4-session BFCC program twice a week for each dyad. The core principles treated family as a single unit and provided individually tailored interventions to improve family function through psychoeducation, social and emotional support, and actively raising questions to facilitate constructive awareness and changes. It was initially held to assess family function, then to provide information about BPD, to support and empower the dyads to change communication styles and resolve conflicts, and to sustain or improve family function in the cognitive, affective, and behavioral domains.

Timeline

• Start date: 2010-03-01
• Primary completion: 2012-12-01
• Completion: 2012-12-01
• First posted: 2016-09-08
• Last updated: 2016-09-13

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Taiwan