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ACT-Based Psychoeducation for Caregivers of Patients With Schizophrenia

14. juni 2026 oppdatert av: Hülya Arslantaş, Aydin Adnan Menderes University

The Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-Based Psychoeducation Applied to Caregivers of Schizophrenia Patients Attending the Community Mental Health Center on Emotional Expression, Perceived Family Burden, and Psychological Flexibility: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial aims to examine the effects of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based psychoeducation program on expressed emotion, perceived family burden, and psychological flexibility among caregivers of patients with schizophrenia attending a Community Mental Health Center.

The main questions this study aims to answer are:

  • Does ACT-based psychoeducation reduce expressed emotion among caregivers of patients with schizophrenia?
  • Does ACT-based psychoeducation reduce perceived family burden among caregivers of patients with schizophrenia?
  • Does ACT-based psychoeducation improve psychological flexibility among caregivers of patients with schizophrenia?

Researchers will randomly assign eligible caregivers to either an intervention group receiving an 8-session ACT-based psychoeducation program or a control group receiving routine care.

Participants will:

  • Complete assessment measures before the intervention (pre-test).
  • Participate in 8 ACT-based psychoeducation sessions if assigned to the intervention group.
  • Continue receiving routine care if assigned to the control group.
  • Complete assessment measures immediately after the intervention (post-test).
  • Complete follow-up assessments at 1 month and 3 months after the intervention.

Studieoversikt

Detaljert beskrivelse

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. It has devastating consequences that impact not only the health of affected individuals but also their social, occupational, and economic functioning. The effects of schizophrenia extend beyond patients and significantly influence family members who assume caregiving responsibilities. The behavioral and emotional difficulties experienced by individuals with schizophrenia may expose caregivers to various physical and psychological challenges.

Family caregivers frequently experience emotions such as anger, helplessness, anxiety, and uncertainty, and they may have difficulty managing these emotional reactions. With the increasing adoption of community-based mental health care services, families have assumed greater responsibility for the care of individuals with schizophrenia. As a result, caregivers often face substantial caregiving demands, contributing to increased family burden and emotional distress.

Psychological flexibility refers to the ability to maintain or change behavior in accordance with personal values and long-term goals despite the presence of distressing thoughts, emotions, or experiences. Caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia are frequently exposed to stressful situations and negative emotional experiences that may adversely affect their psychological flexibility.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a behavioral intervention that aims to enhance psychological flexibility through acceptance, mindfulness, values clarification, and committed action. Previous studies have suggested that ACT-based interventions may help family members develop more adaptive beliefs and attitudes, reduce psychological distress, and improve coping with caregiving challenges. Through the acceptance process, caregivers may learn to engage more effectively with difficult thoughts and emotions associated with long-term caregiving responsibilities.

The aim of this randomized controlled trial is to determine the effects of an ACT-based psychoeducation program on expressed emotion, perceived family burden, and psychological flexibility among caregivers of patients with schizophrenia attending a Community Mental Health Center. Eligible caregivers will be randomly assigned to either an intervention group receiving an eight-session ACT-based psychoeducation program or a control group receiving routine care. Outcome measures will be assessed at baseline (pre-test), immediately after the intervention (post-test), at 1-month follow-up, and at 3-month follow-up.

Studietype

Intervensjonell

Registrering (Antatt)

60

Fase

  • Ikke aktuelt

Kontakter og plasseringer

Denne delen inneholder kontaktinformasjon for de som utfører studien, og informasjon om hvor denne studien blir utført.

Studiekontakt

Studer Kontakt Backup

Studiesteder

    • Merkez
      • Nevşehir, Merkez, Tyrkia (Türkiye), 50040
        • Nevşehir State Hospital Community Mental Health Center
        • Ta kontakt med:
          • Sinem Sönmez, MSc
          • Telefonnummer: -90+539-816-4391

Deltakelseskriterier

Forskere ser etter personer som passer til en bestemt beskrivelse, kalt kvalifikasjonskriterier. Noen eksempler på disse kriteriene er en persons generelle helsetilstand eller tidligere behandlinger.

Kvalifikasjonskriterier

Alder som er kvalifisert for studier

  • Voksen
  • Eldre voksen

Tar imot friske frivillige

Ja

Beskrivelse

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Living with an individual diagnosed with schizophrenia who has been followed and actively receiving services from a Community Mental Health Center for at least one year.
  • Being the primary caregiver responsible for the care of the individual diagnosed with schizophrenia.
  • Having been involved in the care and treatment of the individual diagnosed with schizophrenia for at least 12 months prior to the study.
  • Being between 18 and 65 years of age.
  • Being literate.
  • Being able to speak and understand Turkish.
  • Willing to participate in the study and providing informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Having a medically diagnosed psychiatric disorder.
  • Having a diagnosis of an organic mental disorder or intellectual disability.
  • Having a physical impairment that may interfere with participation in the study or data collection process (e.g., hearing or speech impairment).

Studieplan

Denne delen gir detaljer om studieplanen, inkludert hvordan studien er utformet og hva studien måler.

Hvordan er studiet utformet?

Designdetaljer

  • Primært formål: Støttende omsorg
  • Tildeling: Randomisert
  • Intervensjonsmodell: Parallell tildeling
  • Masking: Dobbelt

Våpen og intervensjoner

Deltakergruppe / Arm
Intervensjon / Behandling
Eksperimentell: ACT-Based Psychoeducation Group
Caregivers of patients with schizophrenia attending a Community Mental Health Center will receive an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based psychoeducation program developed in accordance with expert opinions. The intervention consists of eight structured group sessions lasting approximately 60-90 minutes each. Session topics include introduction to the program and ACT principles, contact with the present moment, acceptance, cognitive defusion, self-as-context (observing self), values, values-based actions, and review of the psychoeducation process. Outcome measures will be assessed at baseline (pre-test), immediately after the intervention (post-test), at 1-month follow-up, and at 3-month follow-up.
The intervention consists of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based psychoeducation program developed in accordance with expert opinions. The program is delivered in a group format and includes eight structured sessions lasting approximately 60-90 minutes each. Session topics include introduction to the program and ACT principles, contact with the present moment, acceptance, cognitive defusion, self-as-context (observing self), values, values-based actions, and review and evaluation of the psychoeducation process. The intervention is designed to reduce expressed emotion and perceived family burden and to improve psychological flexibility among caregivers of patients with schizophrenia attending a Community Mental Health Center.
Ingen inngripen: Routine Care Group
Caregivers of patients with schizophrenia attending a Community Mental Health Center will continue to receive routine care and services provided by the center. Outcome measures will be assessed at baseline (pre-test), immediately after the intervention period (post-test), at 1-month follow-up, and at 3-month follow-up.

Hva måler studien?

Primære resultatmål

Resultatmål
Tiltaksbeskrivelse
Tidsramme
Perceived Family Burden
Tidsramme: Time Frame: Baseline (pre-test), immediately post-intervention (post-test), 1-month follow-up, and 3-month follow-up.
Change in scores obtained from the Family Burden Scale.
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-test), immediately post-intervention (post-test), 1-month follow-up, and 3-month follow-up.
Psychological Flexibility
Tidsramme: Time Frame: Baseline (pre-test), immediately post-intervention (post-test), 1-month follow-up, and 3-month follow-up.
Change in scores obtained from the Psychological Flexibility Scale.
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-test), immediately post-intervention (post-test), 1-month follow-up, and 3-month follow-up.
Expressed Emotion
Tidsramme: Time Frame: Baseline (pre-test), immediately post-intervention (post-test), 1-month follow-up, and 3-month follow-up.
Change in scores obtained from the Expressed Emotion Scale.
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-test), immediately post-intervention (post-test), 1-month follow-up, and 3-month follow-up.

Samarbeidspartnere og etterforskere

Det er her du vil finne personer og organisasjoner som er involvert i denne studien.

Etterforskere

  • Hovedetterforsker: Hülya Arslantaş, Aydin Adnan Menderes University

Publikasjoner og nyttige lenker

Den som er ansvarlig for å legge inn informasjon om studien leverer frivillig disse publikasjonene. Disse kan handle om alt relatert til studiet.

Generelle publikasjoner

  • Berksun OE (1992) Şizofrenide aile faktörü: expressed emotion (EE): ölçek geliştirme ve uyarlama denemesi. Doktora Tezi, Ankara Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Ankara.
  • Arslantas, H., Adana, F., Dereboy, F., Altinyazar, V., İnal, S., Ildirli, G. S., Kirci, Ç. (2011). Algılanan Aile Yükü Ölçeği'nin Türkçe Sürümünün Geçerlilik ve Güvenilirlik Çalışması. Archives of Neuropsychiatry/Nöropsikiyatri Arşivi, 48(1): 53-8.
  • Karakuş, S. ve Akbay, S. E. (2020). Psikolojik esneklik ölçeği: Uyarlama, geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. Mersin Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 16(1), 32-43.
  • Tunc E, Orak OS, Avci IA. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-Based Counseling Among Family Members of Individuals With Schizophrenia: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv. 2025 Aug;63(8):24-32. doi: 10.3928/02793695-20250314-02. Epub 2025 Mar 27.
  • Wright, S. R., Graham, C. D., Houghton, R., Ghiglieri, C. and Berry, E. (2023). Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for caregivers of children with chronic conditions: A mixed methods systematic review (MMSR) of efficacy, process, and acceptance. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 27, 72-97.
  • Koujalgi, S. R., & Nayak, R. B. (2021). Family burden among caregivers of patients with chronic mental disorders. BLDE University Journal of Health Sciences, 6(2), 164-167.
  • James, R., & Tungol, J. (2022). Wellness Enhancement Therapy (WET) to Reduce Expressed Emotion and Subjective Burden among the Family Caregivers of Schizophrenia Patients: A Pilot Study. Indian Journal of Positive Psychology, 13(1), 1-5.

Studierekorddatoer

Disse datoene sporer fremdriften for innsending av studieposter og sammendragsresultater til ClinicalTrials.gov. Studieposter og rapporterte resultater gjennomgås av National Library of Medicine (NLM) for å sikre at de oppfyller spesifikke kvalitetskontrollstandarder før de legges ut på det offentlige nettstedet.

Studer hoveddatoer

Studiestart (Antatt)

1. juli 2026

Primær fullføring (Antatt)

30. desember 2026

Studiet fullført (Antatt)

15. januar 2027

Datoer for studieregistrering

Først innsendt

14. juni 2026

Først innsendt som oppfylte QC-kriteriene

14. juni 2026

Først lagt ut (Faktiske)

18. juni 2026

Oppdateringer av studieposter

Sist oppdatering lagt ut (Faktiske)

18. juni 2026

Siste oppdatering sendt inn som oppfylte QC-kriteriene

14. juni 2026

Sist bekreftet

1. juni 2026

Mer informasjon

Begreper knyttet til denne studien

Plan for individuelle deltakerdata (IPD)

Planlegger du å dele individuelle deltakerdata (IPD)?

NEI

IPD-planbeskrivelse

The decision to share the study results will be made during the study period or when it is concluded.

Legemiddel- og utstyrsinformasjon, studiedokumenter

Studerer et amerikansk FDA-regulert medikamentprodukt

Nei

Studerer et amerikansk FDA-regulert enhetsprodukt

Nei

Denne informasjonen ble hentet direkte fra nettstedet clinicaltrials.gov uten noen endringer. Hvis du har noen forespørsler om å endre, fjerne eller oppdatere studiedetaljene dine, vennligst kontakt register@clinicaltrials.gov. Så snart en endring er implementert på clinicaltrials.gov, vil denne også bli oppdatert automatisk på nettstedet vårt. .

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