Designing Research to Meet Service Needs: An Evaluation of Single-Session Groups for Families of Psychiatric Inpatients

In: Research on social work practice, Band 4, Heft 2, S. 192-207

Abstract

This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a social group work intervention for families of psychiatric inpatients, with the goal of enhancing coping, social support, and information. The sample consisted of 55 clients who participated in the groups during a 3-month period and completed pre- and posttest measures designed for this project. Outcome measures focused on family members' perceptions in three different domains: the amount of information they had regarding their family member's illness and selected aspects of treatment, their ability to cope with their family member's illness and hospitalization, and the amount of support both from the group and outside the hospital setting. Student t tests were used to examine the change in scores from respondents' initial response before the group session to their scores immediately following the intervention. Results indicate that the groups were effective overall in these three areas.