Effects of family intervention on aggressive behavior of schizophrenics in community

Objective To investigate the effects of family intervention on aggressive behavior, life quality, and family care of schizophrenics in community.Methods A total of 100 schizophrenics(diagnosed based on the International Classification of Disease, 10th RevisionICD-10)in community were randomly divided into two groups.Fifty patients in study group were subjected to family intervention and conventional antipsychotics, while 50 patients in control group were only treated with conventional antipsychotics.All patients were followed-up and assessed with aggressive behavior questionnaire, Modified Over Aggression Scales(MOAS), Positive and Negative Symptom Scale(PANSS), Quality of Life Index Questionnaire(QL-Index), Family Adaptation Partnership/Growth/Affection/Resolve(APGAR)Index, and Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale(TESS)before and one year after the follow-up.Results The total number of attack and MOAS score for patients in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group at each follow-up assessment during one year period(P<0.01).The PANSS score in the study group was lower than that in the control group from the second month of the follow-up.The total hospital attendance(14)in the study group was lower than that(26)in control group during one year period.The scores of QL-Index and Family APGAR Index in the study group were higher than those in the control group at each follow-up assessment(P<0.01).Conclusion The risk of aggressive behaviors for schizophrenics in community is quite high.Family intervention can effectively reduce the severity of aggressive behaviors of community schizophrenics, and improve life quality of the schizophrenics.