Identifying the socio-demographic and clinical determinants of family functioning in Greek patients with psychosis

Background: Studies on determinants affecting family functioning of patients with psychosis are still limited in Greece. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics associated with family functioning in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in Crete, Greece. Methods: A total of 100 patients and their caregivers agreed to participate in the study. Family functioning was assessed in terms of cohesion, adaptability, communication and satisfaction dimensions (Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale IV Package), expressed emotion (Family Questionnaire), family burden (Family Burden Scale) and caregivers' psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire-28). Multivariate linear regression models were implemented to examine the associations between each one of the family measures and different social and clinical characteristics. Results: With regard to the caregivers' characteristics, gender, employment status, origin, residence, financial status, relation to the patient, contact with the patient and family structure were among the most significant determinants of family functioning. Also, patients' socio-demographic characteristics, including age, education, origin, residence and employment status, as well as illness-related factors, such as onset of mental illness, number of hospitalisations, last hospitalisation, longer hospitalisation and clinical diagnosis impacted intrafamilial relationships. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that a number of social and clinical factors contributed to the family environment of patients with psychosis. Identifying the determinants of family functioning in psychosis is instrumental in developing understandings regarding the factors which may contribute to the rehabilitation or relapse of the patient and the support required to strengthen positive family interactions.