The Investigation of Relative Efficacy of Family Trainings and Life Skills on the Protection of Chronic Mental Disorders in Family

This research was done to investigate the relative efficacy of family trainings and life skills to the families of patients with chronic mental disorders in Mashhad. In this semi-empirical research, a sample of 300 subjects was chosen in stratified random and systematic approach from the families of patients with chronic mental disorders admitted in round the clock centers in Mashhad and who were in waiting list; these subjects were randomly divided to two groups of experiment and control and we introduced family trainings and life skills to experiment group. There was no training to control group. These two group were tested at the beginning of trainings and post training with instruments such as taking care of and mental disorders attitude questionnaire, life skills attitude questionnaire, California social adjustment questionnaire, Rosenberg self esteem, general health questionnaire and epidemiological mental disorders questionnaire. The result indicated that training had no effect on the attitude of families toward taking care of mental disorder, but family members’ attitude toward mental disorder was changed. These trainings had influence on changing family member’s attitude toward life skills, social adjustment, self esteem, mental health increase and reducing mental disorders. The reason for efficacy of group method of life skills training as cognitive behavior is their educational foundation, because in this method it is emphasized on both cognitive and behavioral aspects. On the other hand, more efficacy of training needed more time. Also controlling influential factors can affect in more efficacy of these trainings.