Effect of Psychoeducation on Expressed Emotion among Caregivers of Patients with Mental Disorders

Background: Expressed emotion (EE) is a strong predictor of outcomes in patients with mental disorders.Effective psychoeducation can improve communication between patients and caregivers.Low levels of EE are associated with better patient outcomes.Objectives: The present study was aimed to assess the effect of psychoeducation on EE among caregivers of patients with mental disorders who were admitted to a tertiary care teaching hospital in Kerala.Methods: A pre-experimental, pre-test, post-test design was used.The sample size was 30, who were family members of patients with serious mental disorders.Expressed emotion family questionnaire (FQ) and sociopersonal data sheet were used.Ethical permission was obtained.Data were subjected descriptive and inferential analysis.Results: The findings show that there was a significant difference (p < 0.01) in the mean score of FQ before and after psychoeducation, as well as the on subdomains scores of critical comments (CCs) (p = 0.001) and emotional overinvolvement (p = 0.001).Conclusion: Expressed emotion in caregivers of patients with mental illness can be improved with effective and scientifically communicated psychoeducation.