title: In our own voice-family companion: reducing self-stigma of family members of persons with serious mental illness.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This article reports preliminary findings from a novel, family peer-based intervention designed to reduce self-stigma among family members of people with serious mental illness.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 158 primary caregivers of patients with schizophrenia were recruited from a large urban mental health facility (93 caregivers) or from a family and consumer advocacy organization (65 caregivers). Caregivers (N=122) who reported they perceived at least a moderate level of mental illness-related stigma were evaluated on measures of self-stigma, withdrawal, secrecy, anxiety, and social comparison and randomly assigned to receive one of two, one-session group interventions: a peer-led intervention (In Our Own Voice-Family Companion [IOOV-FC]) designed to stimulate group discussion or a clinician-led family education session, which delivered information about mental illness in a structured, didactic format. IOOV-FC consisted of playing a videotape of family members who describe their experiences coping with stigma, which was followed by a discussion led by two family peers who modeled sharing their own experiences and facilitated group sharing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 24 family members and ten consumers, 96% rated the videotape above a predetermined acceptability threshold on a 19-item scale assessing cultural sensitivity, respect for different stakeholders, relevance of content, and technical quality (α=.92). Caregivers receiving IOOV-FC with low to moderate pretreatment anxiety reported a substantial reduction in self-stigma (effect size=.50) relative to those receiving clinician-led family education (p=.017) as well as significant reductions in secrecy (p=.031).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Peer-led group interventions may be more effective in reducing family self-stigma than clinician-led education, at least for persons reporting experiencing low to moderate anxiety levels on a standard questionnaire
authors.affiliation: Departmentof Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, NewYork, NY 10029, USA. deborah.perlick@mssm.edu
authors.forename: Deborah A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Perlick
authors.forename: Ann H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mattias
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Selzer
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kalvin
authors.forename: Charles H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Wilber
authors.forename: Brittney
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Huntington
authors.forename: Caroline S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Holman
authors.forename: Patrick W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Corrigan
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003219:Confidentiality / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D057194:Intention to Treat Analysis; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010379:Peer Group; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012649:Self Concept; D012752:Shame; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology; D057545:Social Stigma; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019037:Urban Health Services; D014743:Videotape Recording