The role of attachment, coping style and reasons for substance use in substance users with psychosis.

Seventy substance users with psychosis who were participating in a clinical trial of a psychological therapy for psychosis were additionally assessed for attachment, coping styles and self-reported reasons for substance use in order to test a hypothesized sequential mediation model. In this model the relationship between insecure attachment and problematic substance use was assumed to be sequentially mediated by dysfunctional coping and the use of substances to cope with distress. Hypothesized associations between insecure-avoidant attachment and substance use were not supported, but the relationship between insecure-anxious attachment and problematic substance use was confirmed and found to be fully mediated by dysfunctional coping and coping reasons for use. Findings suggest that fostering secure attachments in people with psychosis might promote more successful coping and could prevent or reduce substance use related problems in this group.

Overcoming challenges in delivering integrated motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioural therapy for bipolar disorder with co-morbid alcohol use: therapist perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol misuse is common in bipolar disorder and is associated with worse outcomes. A recent study evaluated integrated motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioural therapy for bipolar disorder and alcohol misuse with promising results in terms of the feasibility of delivering the therapy and the acceptability to participants. AIMS: Here we present the experiences of the therapists and supervisors from the trial to identify the key challenges in working with this client group and how these might be overcome. METHOD: Four therapists and two supervisors participated in a focus group. Topic guides for the group were informed by a summary of challenges and obstacles that each therapist had completed at the end of therapy for each individual client. The audio recording of the focus group was transcribed and data were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: We identified five themes: addressing alcohol use versus other problems; impact of bipolar disorder on therapy; importance of avoidance and overcoming it; fine balance in relation to shame and normalising use; and 'talking the talk' versus 'walking the walk'. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that clients may be willing to explore motivations for using alcohol even if they are not ready to change their drinking, and they may want help with a range of mental health problems. Emotional and behavioural avoidance may be a key factor in maintaining alcohol use in this client group and therapists should be aware of a possible discrepancy between clients' intentions to reduce misuse and their actual behaviour.

Facilitators and Barriers to Participating in a Randomized Controlled Trial of a Psychological Therapy for Substance Use.

Research involving substance users with psychosis has high refusal and attrition rates. Understanding participants' experiences of research participation is therefore important. Twenty-two cannabis users with schizophrenia spectrum disorders were recruited. They were involved in a randomized controlled trial exploring the effectiveness of motivational interviewing plus cognitive behavioral therapy. Semistructured interviews were conducted, and their responses were analyzed using thematic analysis. Thematic analysis identified facilitators such as therapeutic benefit, knowledge about medical conditions, awareness of own drug habits, helping others, confidentiality, rapport with researchers, desiring social contact, and views of significant others. Barriers identified were cognitive challenge, amount of assessments, duration, and discussions about the past. Based on these insights, we recommend informing participants about clinical equipoise, confidentiality, and demands of the study; minimizing demands on participants; acknowledging participants' efforts; involving potential participants' significant others during recruitment; advertising research as an opportunity to help; and training researchers in building rapport.

Attachment and therapeutic alliance in psychological therapy for people with recent onset psychosis who use cannabis.

We examine associations between client attachment style and therapeutic alliance in a 3-arm randomized controlled trial of brief motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavioural therapy compared with longer term motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavioural therapy or standard care alone. Client self-report measures of attachment style were completed at baseline, and both clients and therapists in the treatment arms of the trial completed alliance measures 1 month into therapy. We found that insecure-anxious attachment was positively associated with therapist-rated alliance, whereas clients with insecure-avoidant attachment were more likely to report poorer bond with therapist. There was no evidence that client attachment significantly predicted clinical or substance misuse outcomes either directly or indirectly via alliance. Nor evidence that the length of therapy offered interacted with attachment to predict alliance.

Delivery of cognitive-behaviour therapy for psychosis: a service user preference trial.

BACKGROUND: Clinical guidelines recommend cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for people with psychosis, however, implementation is poor and not everyone wishes to engage with therapy. Understanding service user (SU) preferences for receiving such treatments is a priority for services. AIMS: To explore SU preferences and outcomes of different methods of delivering CBT for psychosis. METHOD: SUs experiencing psychosis could choose between treatment as usual (TAU); TAU plus telephone-delivered CBT with self-help, CBT recovery manual (TS); high support CBT (HS - TAU plus TS plus group sessions) or randomisation. Participants received their option of choice and were followed-up on several outcomes over 9 and 15 months. RESULTS: Of 89 people recruited, three chose to be randomised and 86 expressed a treatment preference (32 chose TAU, 34 chose TS, 23 chose HS). There were few differences between those who chose therapy compared to those who chose TAU. Those who had more positive impacts from their symptoms were significantly more likely to choose TAU. CONCLUSIONS: Most people had strong preferences about treatment delivery and a substantial number did not wish to receive additional therapy. These findings have to be considered when planning and allocating resources for people with psychosis.

Self-blame attributions in relatives of people with recent-onset psychosis: Associations with relatives' distress and behavioural control.

OBJECTIVES: There is evidence that self-blame is an important predictor of distress and depression in relatives of people with long-term psychosis, but there is limited research investigating the nature and correlates of self-blame in relatives of people with recent-onset psychosis. Self-blame motivates a tendency to engage with others and to repair wrongdoings; it might be that such cognitions also impact on relatives' behaviours towards the patient. This study examined the association between self-blame and psychological distress, and tested the prediction that greater self-blame would be associated with more behavioural control attempts to patients in a sample of relatives of people with recent-onset psychosis. METHODS: Statements pertaining to self-blame and behavioural control were extracted and rated from 80 interviews with relatives, who also completed the General Health Questionnaire-28. Content analysis was used to examine the nature of self-blame attributions. Regression analyses were used to explore the links between self-blame attributions and distress, and between self-blame and behavioural control in this recent-onset population. RESULTS: Higher levels of self-blame were associated with more behavioural control attempts, and self-blame predicted relatives' behavioural responses when adjusting for the contribution of control attributions. Self-blame was also linked with distress, but did not emerge as an independent predictor in multivariate analysis. Most relatives who blamed themselves did so for not overseeing their family member's mental health problems properly or for perceiving themselves generally as poor carers. CONCLUSIONS: This study extends findings related to self-blame to a population of relatives of people with recent-onset psychosis and highlights the possible role of blaming cognitions in promoting interpersonal engagement through behavioural control. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Self-blaming beliefs were linked with increased distress in relatives of people with recent-onset psychosis; Increased self-blame was associated with more behavioural control attempts; Most relatives blamed themselves for not overseeing their family member's mental health problems properly, and for perceiving themselves generally as poor carers. The cross-sectional study design limits inferences about causality.

Understanding Outcomes in a Randomized Controlled Trial of a Ward-based Intervention on Psychiatric Inpatient Wards: A Qualitative Analysis of Staff and Patient Experiences.

OBJECTIVE: Team formulation is advocated to improve quality of care in mental health care and evidence from a recent U.K.-based trial supports its use in inpatient settings. This study aimed to identify the effects of formulation on practice from the perspectives of staff and patient participating in the trial, including barriers and enhancers to implementing the intervention. METHOD: We carried out semistructured interviews with 57 staff and 20 patients. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Main outcomes were: improved staff understanding of patients, better team collaboration and increased staff awareness of their own feelings. Key contextual factors were as follows: overcoming both staff and patient anxiety, unwelcome expert versus collaborative stance, competing demands, and management support. CONCLUSION: Team formulation should be implemented to improve quality of care in inpatient settings and larger definitive trials should be carried out to assess the effect of this intervention on patient outcomes.

Assessing the reliability of the five minute speech sample against the Camberwell family interview in a chronic fatigue syndrome sample.

PURPOSE: The current study aimed to examine the reliability of the Five Minute Speech Sample (FMSS) for assessing relative Expressed Emotion (EE) compared with the Camberwell Family Interview (CFI) in a sample of relatives of adult patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). METHOD: 21 relatives were recruited and completed both assessments. The CFI was conducted first for all participants, with the FMSS conducted approximately one month later. Trained raters independently coded both EE measures; high levels of rating reliability were established for both measures. Comparisons were conducted for overall EE status, emotional over-involvement (EOI) and criticism. FINDINGS: The distribution of high and low-EE was equivalent across the two measures, with the FMSS correctly classifying EE is 71% of cases (n=15). The correspondence between the FMSS and CFI ratings was found to be non-significant for all categorical variables. However, the number of critical comments made by relatives during the FMSS significantly correlated with the number of critical comments made during the CFI. The poorest correspondence between the measures was observed for the EOI dimension. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that the FMSS may be a useful screening tool for identifying high-EE, particularly criticism, within a sample of relatives of patients with CFS. However, the two measures should not be assumed equivalent, and the CFI should be used where possible, particularly with respect to understanding EOI.

Therapeutic alliance in psychological therapy for people with recent onset psychosis who use cannabis.

BACKGROUND: This paper examines the role of therapeutic alliance in predicting outcomes in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MICBT) for problematic cannabis use in recent onset psychosis. METHODS: All clients were participating in a three arm pragmatic rater-blind randomized controlled trial of brief MICBT plus standard care compared with longer term MICBT plus standard care and standard care alone. Participants completed measures to assess clinical symptoms, global functioning and substance misuse at baseline, 4.5months, 9months and 18months. Clients and therapists completed the Working Alliance Inventory approximately one month into therapy. Client alliance data was available for 35 participants randomized to therapy and therapist alliance data was available for 52 participants randomized to therapy. RESULTS: At baseline, poorer client-rated alliance was associated with more negative symptoms, poorer insight and greater cannabis use, whereas poorer therapist-rated alliance was only associated with amount of cannabis used per cannabis using day. Alliance ratings were also positively associated with amount of therapy: client-rated alliance was higher in the longer compared to the briefer therapy; therapist-rated alliance was associated with greater number of sessions attended (controlling for type of therapy) and therapy completion. In predicting outcome, client-rated alliance predicted total symptom scores and global functioning scores at follow-up. Neither client nor therapist alliance predicted changes in substance misuse at any time point. CONCLUSIONS: Findings demonstrate that individuals with psychosis and substance misuse who form better alliances with their therapists gain greater benefits from therapy, at least in terms of improvements in global functioning.

Feasibility of a ward-based psychological intervention to improve staff and patient relationships in psychiatric rehabilitation settings.

OBJECTIVES: Recent inquiries highlight the anti-therapeutic nature of inpatient psychiatric care. We aim to assess the feasibility and potential efficacy of a ward-based psychological intervention to improve staff-patient relationships in psychiatric rehabilitation settings. METHODS: A single-blind cluster randomized design compared the intervention with treatment as usual (TAU) on measures of relationships, staff well-being, and patient functioning. Assessments were carried out at baseline and at 6 months. RESULTS: Fifty-one patients and 85 staff were recruited across 10 wards. Fifteen patients and 11 staff were lost to follow-up, with primary reason being ward discharge. Uptake to the intervention was variable but on average lower than anticipated (mean number of sessions 3.5, range 0-11). Despite this lower than anticipated uptake, compared with TAU, patients in the intervention arm felt significantly less criticized by their key workers and reported improvements in ward atmosphere. Staff in the intervention arm also reported significantly lower levels of depersonalization post-intervention. Although trend level data favoured the intervention group, in this relatively small feasibility study, we were not able to demonstrate statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of staff perceptions of relationships, staff stress, and longer-term patient outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: This psychologically informed ward-based intervention shows potential in improving relationships, although findings and feasibility may be enhanced if further measures are put into place to ensure that all members of the team attend intervention sessions on a more frequent basis. Loss at follow-up due to discharge also needs to be factored into future power calculations. PRACTITIONER POINTS: It is feasible to implement and trial a ward-based psychological intervention (team-based formulation) in long-stay psychiatric settings using a cluster randomized design. Developing psychological formulations with frontline ward staff around patients' needs has the potential to improve staff-patient relationships. The small sample size and loss of data at follow-up may have limited the power of the study to detect the full range of treatment effects. Larger trials are needed to assess the reliability and generalizability of our findings across different wards.

Qualitative investigation of targets for and barriers to interventions to prevent psychosis relapse.

BACKGROUND: Early signs based relapse prevention interventions for psychosis show promise. In order to examine how they might be improved we sought to better understand the early relapse process, service users' abilities to identify early signs, and any potential facilitators and barriers to early signs interventions. METHODS: Data from in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of service users with psychosis varying in gender, age, duration of mental health problems, and time since last relapse were analysed using a thematic approach. Interview transcripts were coded inductively and relationships between emerging themes were examined by the research team to provide a thorough synthesis of the data. RESULTS: Three central themes emerged from the analysis: 1) recognising risk factors (how risk factors were identified and linked to relapse, and reactions to such risk factors); 2) identifying early signs (issues related to both recognising and recalling signs of relapse); 3) reacting to deterioration (participants' thoughts and feelings in response to early signs, including help seeking and its challenges). CONCLUSIONS: There was considerable variation in the attention participants had paid to pre-relapse signs, the ease with which they were able to recall them, and their reactions to them. For many, there were substantial barriers to help seeking from services. A family or friend confidant was an important means of assistance, although the supportive presence of significant others was not always available. Based on these results, a number of recommendations about facilitating service users' recognition of early signs and targeting potential accelerants of relapse are made.

Factors associated with distress in relatives of a family member experiencing recent-onset psychosis.

Factors associated with distress in relatives of people experiencing recent-onset psychosis are unclear, but subjective appraisals of the illness seem to be implicated. We aimed to identify the contribution of illness perceptions to predicting distress in relatives of people experiencing recent-onset psychosis. The relatives were assessed on measures including distress and illness perceptions, and these were repeated 6 months later. Almost half of the relatives had significant distress that persisted at 6 months. Where symptoms of the service users were more severe, and for the older relatives, distress showed less improvement. Perceptions of greater perceived future negative consequences and a more chronic timeline predicted greater distress at 6 months, whereas increased perceived coping efficacy of the relatives predicted a reduction in distress. Distress in relatives is evident early on in psychosis, but assessment of appraisals of relatives may help identify those at risk for enduring problems and offers opportunity for clinical intervention.

Positive affect in the family environment protects against relapse in first-episode psychosis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the contribution of positive affect in the family environment to relapse in first episode psychosis. METHOD: 65 service users with a first episode of psychosis were recruited into the current study along with their key relatives. Relatives were interviewed and rated using the Expressed Emotion (EE) measure of warmth, whilst service users completed questionnaires about the positive and negative affects that they perceived from the family environment. Associations between these measures and relapse were examined in a one-year prospective design. RESULTS: Service users were less likely to relapse within 6 and 12-month follow-up periods when their relatives were rated high on EE warmth, or when they perceived more positive affect from the family. The relationships between service users' perceived positive affect and relapse were preserved after controlling for baseline symptoms, substance use and employment status. Service users' perceptions of positive affect and EE ratings of warmth appeared to be stronger predictors of relapse outcome than criticism and other EE variables. CONCLUSIONS: Positive family environments may protect against relapse in first episode psychosis. Psychosocial interventions should aim to foster and maintain positive affect in families during the early stages of illness. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms linking positive affect and outcomes for people recovering from psychosis.

Perceived empowerment in people with a dual diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorder and substance misuse.

PURPOSE: The aims of the present study were to validate a measure of empowerment in a British population of people with a dual diagnosis of schizophrenia and substance misuse and assess relationships between empowerment and other key outcomes. METHOD: Patients participating in a large randomised control trial for Motivational Interviewing for Drug and Alcohol misuse in Schizophrenia or psychosis (MIDAS trial) completed measures of empowerment, symptoms, global functioning and substance use at baseline, 12- and 24-month follow-ups. RESULTS: A three factor model of empowerment: self-efficacy and control; power and anger; and activism provided the best fit of the data across all three time points. There was some evidence of associations between empowerment and both symptoms and global functioning, although these associations were not consistent across subscales. Changes in empowerment predicted changes in symptoms and functioning at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Empowerment is a broadly defined construct and its meaning may differ across different populations of people with severe and enduring mental health problems. Empowerment is a key component of recovery and should be assessed in treatments in addition to more traditional outcome measures of symptoms and functioning.

A mixed-methods evaluation of a pilot psychosocial intervention group for older people with schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: There is a strong evidence base for psychological treatments in younger adults with schizophrenia, but limited work has been done on adapting these interventions for older people. AIMS: We describe a study of a pilot psychosocial intervention group specifically designed to meet the needs of older people with schizophrenia in NHS settings. METHOD: We used a mixed-methods approach to evaluate the group. We assessed feasibility and acceptability by monitoring uptake and retention in the study. We used a within groups design comparing participants on a range of potentially relevant outcomes at baseline and posttreatment. Treatment acceptability was also assessed by semi-structured interviews conducted at the end of treatment. RESULTS: We recruited 11 participants to the study and 7 of these completed the majority of the group sessions. At a group level participants made improvements in self-esteem and negative symptoms that were statistically significant even in this small sample. Feedback interviews suggested that participants valued the social contact provided by the group and made actual changes in their day-to-day lives as a result of attending. CONCLUSION: The intervention could offer help with some of the secondary disability associated with the diagnosis of schizophrenia and is acceptable to older adults. Further evaluation is, however, warranted.

An investigation of the implementation of NICE-recommended CBT interventions for people with schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines recommend that individual cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) is offered to all people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. In addition, the guidelines recommend that family intervention (FI) should be offered to all families of people with schizophrenia who are in close contact with the service user. However, implementation into routine services is poor. AIMS: To survey mental health services to investigate how many people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and their families are offered and receive CBT or FI. METHODS: A comprehensive audit of a random sample of 187 service users receiving care from one, large mental health care trust in North West England was conducted over a 12-month period. RESULTS: The audit recorded that only 13 (6.9%) of services users were offered and 10 (5.3%) received individual CBT, while 3 (1.6%) services users were offered and 2 (1.1%) received FIs within the 12-month audit period. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of CBT and FI is poor, particularly for FI. Reasons for poor implementation and service implications are discussed.

Preferences for psychological therapy in psychosis: trial participation, mode of treatment, and willingness to be randomised.

BACKGROUND: Psychological therapies for psychosis are well evidenced; however, service user preferences for psychological treatment and trial participation have been little researched. AIMS: To investigate preferences for psychological treatments for psychosis and trial participation decisions within a sample of people with experience of psychosis. METHOD: Hypothetical preferences were assessed in 90 individuals diagnosed with non-affective psychosis: (a) willingness/unwillingness to participate in a psychological therapy trial; (b) willingness/unwillingness to be randomised to treatment condition; (c) preference for mode of therapy; (d) reasons for preferences; (e) socio-demographic and clinical characteristics associated with preferences. RESULTS: Most participants reported willingness to participate in a therapy trial and preferred not to be randomly allocated. Reasons for preferences were diverse, and preferences were not associated with socio-demographic or clinical variables. CONCLUSIONS: The need for treatment choice in services for psychosis and further research in this area has been highlighted.

Integrating mobile-phone based assessment for psychosis into people's everyday lives and clinical care: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade policy makers have emphasised the importance of healthcare technology in the management of long-term conditions. Mobile-phone based assessment may be one method of facilitating clinically- and cost-effective intervention, and increasing the autonomy and independence of service users. Recently, text-message and smartphone interfaces have been developed for the real-time assessment of symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia. Little is currently understood about patients' perceptions of these systems, and how they might be implemented into their everyday routine and clinical care. METHOD: 24 community based individuals with non-affective psychosis completed a randomised repeated-measure cross-over design study, where they filled in self-report questions about their symptoms via text-messages on their own phone, or via a purpose designed software application for Android smartphones, for six days. Qualitative interviews were conducted in order to explore participants' perceptions and experiences of the devices, and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Three themes emerged from the data: i) the appeal of usability and familiarity, ii) acceptability, validity and integration into domestic routines, and iii) perceived impact on clinical care. Although participants generally found the technology non-stigmatising and well integrated into their everyday activities, the repetitiveness of the questions was identified as a likely barrier to long-term adoption. Potential benefits to the quality of care received were seen in terms of assisting clinicians, faster and more efficient data exchange, and aiding patient-clinician communication. However, patients often failed to see the relevance of the systems to their personal situations, and emphasised the threat to the person centred element of their care. CONCLUSIONS: The feedback presented in this paper suggests that patients are conscious of the benefits that mobile-phone based assessment could bring to clinical care, and that the technology can be successfully integrated into everyday routine. However, it also suggests that it is important to demonstrate to patients the personal, as well as theoretical, benefits of the technology. In the future it will be important to establish whether clinical practitioners are able to use this technology as part of a personalised mental health regime.

Self-esteem and relapse in schizophrenia: a 5-year follow-up study.

This study investigated the association between an interview-based measure of self-esteem and subsequent clinical outcome in recent-onset schizophrenia. A cohort 5-year follow-up design with retrospective chart assessment of clinical outcomes was used. Relapse rates during 5 years were very high, with 92% of the sample relapsing. Self-esteem consisted of two dimensions, negative evaluation of self (NES) and positive evaluation of self (PES). Survival analysis indicated that high NES was significantly associated with shorter time to relapse; and PES, with longer survival time. The participants with high PES were three times more likely to have delayed relapse; no other covariates were significant. PES seemed to buffer the adverse effects of NES. The results indicate that social cognition in the form of self-evaluation may be implicated in clinical outcome and symptom exacerbation in schizophrenia.This study investigated the association between an interview-based measure of self-esteem and subsequent clinical outcome in recent-onset schizophrenia. A cohort 5-year follow-up design with retrospective chart assessment of clinical outcomes was used. Relapse rates during 5 years were very high, with 92% of the sample relapsing. Self-esteem consisted of two dimensions, negative evaluation of self (NES) and positive evaluation of self (PES). Survival analysis indicated that high NES was significantly associated with shorter time to relapse; and PES, with longer survival time. The participants with high PES were three times more likely to have delayed relapse; no other covariates were significant. PES seemed to buffer the adverse effects of NES. The results indicate that social cognition in the form of self-evaluation may be implicated in clinical outcome and symptom exacerbation in schizophrenia.

Expressed emotion, types of behavioural control and controllability attributions in relatives of people with recent-onset psychosis.

PURPOSE: High expressed emotion (high-EE), as compared with low-EE, relatives of patients with long-term psychosis may behave in a more controlling manner towards patients. Furthermore, higher levels of behavioural control have been associated with higher relapse rates. We investigated in a recent-onset sample, the extent to which high-EE relatives engage in controlling behaviours and attribute the patient's illness to factors within patient's control. Furthermore, we examined whether criticism/hostility and emotional overinvolvement (EOI) were, respectively, associated with two types of behavioural control (termed 'direct influencing' and 'buffering'). We also investigated if controlling behaviours or attributions were better relapse predictors than EE. METHOD: Measures of EE, controllability attributions and behavioural control and its subtypes ('direct influencing' and 'buffering') were derived from Camberwell Family Interviews with 80 relatives of recent-onset psychosis patients. 'Direct influencing' attempts denote any behaviour intending to coerce the patient; while 'buffering' attempts refer to any behaviour aiming to take control or do things for the patient. RESULTS: High-EE relatives perceived patients as having more control over their illness and were more inclined to attempt to control patients' behaviour than low-EE relatives. Furthermore, high-EE-critical relatives used more direct influencing attempts, and high-EE-EOI relatives used more buffering attempts, but behavioural control was not associated with relapse in this recent-onset sample. CONCLUSIONS: These findings may help us to understand the development of EE in recent-onset psychosis families. Acknowledging and integrating relatives' attributional and behavioural patterns in designing and delivering clinical and familial early interventions should prove beneficial in meeting the needs of this specific population.