title: Psychoeducation with patients at-risk for schizophrenia--an exploratory pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To introduce a psychoeducational program for patients of at-risk mental state and its preliminary evaluation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The psychoeducational program was designed as a purely informative intervention and consisted of seven 1-h sessions. Sixteen at-risk mental state patients (mean age 26+/-4.9 years, 12 males/4 females, mean score on prodromal psychopathology (Bonn Scale for Assessment of predictive Basis Symptoms [BSABS-P] 18.6+/-13.3) were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparisons of means before and after psychoeducation showed a significant reduction in psychopathology and fatalistic LoC as well as an improvement in knowledge, global functioning and various areas of QoL. A qualitative evaluation of the psychoeducational program also showed advantages from patients' perspectives.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides empirical evidence for benefits of psychoeducation with patients of at-risk mental state for schizophrenia but is exploratory and has some limitations, e.g. the small sample size. Therefore the results have to be replicated in a randomized controlled trial in order to be able to demonstrate conclusively the effectiveness of psychoeducation in the pre-psychotic phase.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results from this preliminary study suggest that psychoeducation is a promising intervention for patients of at-risk mental state for schizophrenia, and therefore worthy of more investigations.
authors.affiliation: Early Recognition and Therapy Centre for Beginning Psychoses Berlin/Brandenburg (FETZ), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité University Medicine Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hauser
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lautenschlager
authors.forename: Yehonala
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gudlowski
authors.forename: Seza
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozgürdal
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Witthaus
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bechdolf
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bäuml
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heinz
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Juckel
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017145:Models, Educational; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012559:Schizophrenia; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires