Effect of Psycho educational Program on Positive and Negative Symptoms among Schizophrenic Patients

Abstract

Background: A severe mental condition that alters perceptions, thinking, and behavior is schizophrenia. Although they might vary from person to person, the symptoms often fall into three main categories: 1st positive, 2nd negative, as well as 3rd cognitive. Aim: The study aimed to evaluate the effect of psycho-educational program on positive and negative symptoms among schizophrenic patients. Study design: A quasi-experimental research design was used to achieve the aim of the study. Setting: This study had been conducted at Minia Psychiatric Health and Addiction Treatment Hospital. Subject: A purposive sample of 40 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia had been included in the study as a study group and 40 patients as control group. Tools: Two tools were utilized in this study; the first tool is an interviewing questionnaire to collect socio-demographic and clinical data questionnaire and the second tool is Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS): is a rating scale used to assess the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Results: Less than fifth of studied patients had low positive and negative syndrome comparing to all of them at post-test and the majority at follow up. Conclusion: There was a significant improvement in the studied patient positive and negative symptoms in post psycho-educational program comparing to pre-psycho-educational. Recommendations: Continuous provision of psycho-educational program should be developed in all psychiatric departments and social contexts to improve learning skills, maintaining the improvement in their social functioning among patients with schizophrenia and decrease positive and negative symptoms.