Family Psychoeducation: Efficacy in Child Mood Disorders

Mood disorders among youth are a major health concern. Existing mood disorder studies focus on adults, and studies that focus on effective intervention strategies for youth with mood disorders are needed. This 8-session study is an adjunct to ongoing medication management and individual and family psychotherapy for children with mood disorders.

In this study, parents learn about mood disorders, their treatments, and how to work effectively with mental health and school systems. Parents also practice problem-solving and communication skills for symptom management. Children learn about mood disorders and their treatments, including basic cognitive-behavioral principles. Children also learn and practice anger management, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Patients and their families are randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups. The first group receives 8 sessions of psychoeducation plus treatment as usual (TAU). The second group is a wait-list control in which participants receive only TAU. Patients and caregivers undergo a variety of interviews, tests, and behavioral observations throughout the study. Anxiety, depression, psychosocial stressors, manic symptoms, and children's experiences with psychotropic medications and with treatment or service providers are assessed. Caregivers, teachers, and family friends undergo interviews and make observations of the patient's level of support, general appearance and behavior, and overall functional capacity. The extent to which caregivers agree on the need for treatment and the extent of caregivers' knowledge of mood disorders is also assessed. Assessments occur at 3, 6, 12, 15, and 18 months after study enrollment. A comprehensive assessment is conducted at study entry and 1 year later.