Parental 'expressed emotion' as a predictor of schizophrenic relapse.
Fifty-seven schizophrenic patients were initially assessed after admission to hospital, at which time their parents completed a Camberwell Family Interview, generating "expressed emotion" (EE) scores. Relapse over the next nine months was not predicted by household EE status or by individual EE scales. Multivariate analyses suggested that a poor course after hospitalization was best predicted by a poor course before admission and by living in a one-parent household. High household EE status was a predictor only in one multivariate analysis after course of illness and one-parent household status had been entered, suggesting an interaction effect. We query the causal proposition linking high EE and relapse and suggest instead that a poor illness course may elicit high EE in relatives, particularly in one-parent households, and, thus, may make the principal contribution to the proposed link.
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
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Parker
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Johnston
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Hayward
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D004644:Emotions; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012008:Recurrence; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012847:Single Person / Q000523:psychology