The Effect of Supportive Group Psychotherapy on Self-care Behaviors among Schizophrenic Patients

Abstract

This quasi-experimental research aimed to examine the effect of supportive group psychotherapy on self-care behaviors among schizophrenic patients. The samples consisted of 20 schizophrenic patients who received medical services at Chao Phya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital, Prachinburi Province and were equally divided into the experimental group (n = 10) and the control group (n = 10). The research instruments included the supportive group psychotherapy, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the personal information questionnaire, and the self-care behaviors scale with reliability as .95. The implementation and data collection were conducted from February to April, 2019. Data were analyzed by frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Chi-square test, independent t-test, and two-way repeated measures ANOVA with multiple comparisons by Bonferroni method.

The research results revealed that 1) at the post-test period and the 1-month follow-up period, the experimental group had statistically significant higher mean scores of self-care behaviors than those of the control group (p < .001); and 2) at the post-test period and the 1-month follow-up period, the experimental group had statistically significant higher mean scores of self-care behaviors than that of the pre-test period (p < .001).

This research suggests that health care providers should apply the supportive group psychotherapy for promoting self-care behaviors of psychiatric patients and other patients with chronic disease in order to enhance their quality of life.