Improving Quality of Informal Care for People With Schizophrenia

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Dyadic Multicomponent Intervention (DMI): An 8-week program delivered face-to-face to each person-with-schizophrenia and informal-caregiver dyad together, one 120-minute session per week. Each session combines three components: Dyadic Benefit-Finding Intervention (psychoeducation and positive reappraisal, 60 minutes), Dyadic Exercise Intervention (guided mind-body exercise such as Qigong, Tai Chi, or Baduanjin, 30 minutes), and Dyadic Spiritual Training (mindfulness and life review, 30 minutes). Content is tailored to each dyad and delivered by a trained team of psychiatrists, exercise physiologists, and social workers.

Dyadic Benefit-Finding Intervention (DBFI): An 8-week program delivered face-to-face to each person-with-schizophrenia and informal-caregiver dyad together, one 60-minute session per week. It provides psychoeducation about schizophrenia and caregiving, benefit-finding diaries, and guided practice in positive reappraisal, helping dyads recognize positive experiences and coping resources. This arm does not include the exercise or spiritual training components. It is delivered by a trained team of psychiatrists and social workers.

Study summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a new support program can improve the quality of informal care for people with schizophrenia in rural China. Informal care means the unpaid care given by family members. Quality of care involves both the care that family members give and the care that people with schizophrenia receive. The study also looks at whether the program improves the health and well-being of both groups.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Does the support program improve the quality of care that family caregivers provide and that people with schizophrenia receive?
2. Does the program improve the health and well-being of people with schizophrenia and their caregivers?

Researchers will compare three groups to see which works best:

1. A full support program with health education, physical activities, and spiritual activities
2. A program with health education only
3. A control group that receives only routine care

Each person with schizophrenia takes part together with their family caregiver as a pair. Participants will:

1. Take part in an 8-week program in their community
2. Answer survey questions three times: before the program, right after it ends, and 6 months later
3. Some participants will also join interviews to share their experiences

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Positive Aspects of Caregiving — Baseline (T0), immediately after the intervention (T1), and 6 months post-intervention (T2)
  Positive aspects of caregiving reported by informal caregivers, measured with the 11-item Positive Aspects of Caregiving Scale (C-PAC) on a 5-point Likert scale. Higher scores indicate more positive appraisal of caregiving.
• Exemplary Care — Baseline (T0), immediately after the intervention (T1), and 6 months post-intervention (T2)
  Quality of caregiving reported by informal caregivers, measured with the 11-item Exemplary Care Scale on a 4-point scale. Higher scores indicate higher-quality caregiving.
• Commitment to Care — Baseline (T0), immediately after the intervention (T1), and 6 months post-intervention (T2)
  Commitment to caregiving reported by informal caregivers, measured with the 12-item Valued Living Questionnaire Adapted to Caregiving (VLQAC) on a 10-point Likert scale. Higher scores indicate stronger commitment to valued caregiving.
• Adequacy of Care (Activities of Daily Living) — Baseline (T0), immediately after the intervention (T1), and 6 months post-intervention (T2)
  Adequacy of care received, reported by persons with schizophrenia, measured with an 18-item activities of daily living (ADL) scale on a 4-point scale. Higher scores indicate greater adequacy of care received.
• Satisfaction with Care — Baseline (T0), immediately after the intervention (T1), and 6 months post-intervention (T2)
  Satisfaction with care received, reported by persons with schizophrenia, measured with the Client Assessment of Treatment Scale (CAT) on a 10-point scale. Higher scores indicate greater satisfaction with care.

Trial sites (1)

More Chinese University of Hong Kong trials in China

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