[Benefits and difficulties in implementing family psychoeducational interventions for schizophrenia in mental health services: results from a multicentre Italian study].
OBJECTIVE
This study aims to explore: a) the feasibility of psycho-educational interventions for families of users with schizophrenia in clinical practice by trained staff; b) the benefits and problems encountered by professionals in the use of these interventions.


METHODS
46 professionals from 23 Italian Mental Health Services (MHS) attended at a three-module training course in psycho-educational interventions and four supervisions in the subsequent year. Following the course, participants provided the intervention to families of users with schizophrenia. The difficulties and benefits encountered by trainees to use the intervention were registered on the Famnily Intervention Schedule.


RESULTS
83% of the participants completed the training course. Following the course, the intervention started in 71 families from 17 MHS. 76% of trainees provided the intervention to 2-5 families, while 13% of them only held informative sessions on schizophrenia. During the supervision period, the organisational difficulties experienced by the professionals were stable, while the benefits increased. Differences in benefits and difficulties were detected in relation to the trainees' experience and professional roles.


CONCLUSIONS
It is possible to introduce psycho-educational interventions in MHS after a relatively brief period of training and supervision of the staff. Organisational difficulties need to be addressed to increase the dissemination of these interventions on a large scale.
Magliano
Lorenza
L
Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Università di Napoli SUN, Napoli. lorenza.magliano@unina2.it
Fiorillo
Andrea
A
Malangone
Claudio
C
De Rosa
Corrado
C
Favata
Grazia
G
Sasso
Annarita
A
Prezioso
Monica
M
Pezzenati
Laura
L
Gentile
Floralba
F
Casale
Lucetta
L
Bondi
Emi
E
Test
Giuseppina Robustelli
GR
Di Lella
Michele
M
Biscussi
Elisabetta
E
Degl'Innocenti
Francesco
F
Bellini
Rossella
R
Di Nunzio
Rita
R
Matrella
Lucia
L
Salmeri
Rosa
R
Cantone
Rosario
R
Gargiulo
Luisa
L
Esposito
Aniello
A
Delcuratolo
Vincenzo
V
Giannini
Maria
M
Maresca
Luisa
L
Cavaliere
Giovanna
G
Scandone
Barbara
B
Folla
Matteo
M
Raffaeli
Mauro
M
Innocente
Paola
P
Dagianti
Flavia
F
Lucania
Stefania
S
Scorsino
Angela
A
Bardicchia
Francesco
F
Cerullo
Gennaro
G
Curreli
Riccardo
R
Miscali
Silvana
S
Scordato
Mario
M
Campo
Graziella
G
Mameli
Cinzia
C
Sodde
Carla
C
D'Ambra
Luigi
L
Malacarne
Anna
A
Maj
Mario
M
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000628:therapy*