Predicting Schizophrenia Outcome with Self-report Measures of Family Interaction

This study is based on 18 patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of schizophrenia who currently were living with one or both parents. Patients and parents completed several questionnaire, including the Parental Bonding Index (PBI), the Family Environment Scale (FES), the Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire (HDHQ), and the Brief Symptoms Inventory. Observer ratings of patients' symptoms also were made. Outcome was predicted best by patients' ratings of mothers on the PBI and by mothers' scores on the HDHQ Criticism of Others scale. Other significant outcome predictors were the number of previous admissions to hospital, patients' scores on the HDHQ Projected Hostility scale and the FES Expressiveness scale, and fathers' scores on the FES Achievement-Orientation scale.