title: Evaluation of a psychoeducational group intervention for family and friends of youth with borderline personality disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite high levels of burden and distress among families with a member who has borderline personality disorder (BPD), only two BPD specific family psychoeducation groups have been empirically evaluated. Neither of these is designed specifically for the family and friends of young people who are presenting early in the course of BPD. This study aimed to evaluateMaking Sense of Borderline Personality Disorder(MS-BPD), a three-session, developmentally tailored, manualised psychoeducational group for the family and friends of youth with BPD features.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study employed a pre- and post-intervention, repeated measures design. Twenty-three participants completed self-report measures assessing for family burden, psychological distress, and knowledge about personality disorder. Demographic data were collected for the group participants and for their associated young person with BPD. Paired-samplest-tests were conducted to evaluate the effect of the MS-BPD intervention on participants' burden, distress and personality disorder knowledge.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the completion of session three (day 15), group participants reported significantly decreased subjective burden and increased personality disorder knowledge. Objective burden and distress remained unchanged.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Family and friends of young people with BPD features experienced subjective, but not objective, benefit from attending a brief group-based psychoeducation intervention. Longer follow-up is likely to be required to detect behavioural change. The current findings support proceeding to a randomised controlled trial of MS-BPD.
authors.affiliation: Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Jessie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pearce
authors.affiliation: Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia.|Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.|Orygen Youth Health, Northwestern Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jovev
authors.affiliation: Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hulbert
authors.affiliation: Orygen Youth Health, Northwestern Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McKechnie
authors.affiliation: Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia.|Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.|Orygen Youth Health, Northwestern Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McCutcheon
authors.affiliation: Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia.|Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Betts
authors.affiliation: Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia.|Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.|Orygen Youth Health, Northwestern Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Andrew M
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4468-622X
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Chanen
keywords: Adolescent; Borderline personality disorder; Early Intervention; Family; Psychiatry; Psychoeducation