Boston Children's Hospital
While early onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders are among the most debilitating psychiatric illnesses, evidence-based treatment for this population is limited. This study evaluates the feasibility and acceptability of a parent peer co-led group intervention for caregivers of youth with Early Onset Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder to support further refinement. Caregivers of youth with Early Onset Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder will be invited to participate. Participants will be assigned to either the treatment group or the wait-list control group. Those in the treatment group will receive the group intervention immediately at study start and wait-list participants will be invited to participate following completion of the study. The group intervention consists of 10 group therapy intervention sessions covering psychosis psychoeducation (e.g. symptoms monitoring, stress \& stress management, family communication skills, and coping skills). Feasibility will be assessed through recruitment and retention, acceptability through the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire. Secondary aims include effectiveness using Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and qualitative feedback from participants.
Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) are a group of disorders defined by the presence of delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking, grossly disorganized or abnormal motor behavior, and/or negative symptoms, and typically present between late teens and mid-30s. While treatment approaches for adults with SSD are well-established, evidence-based psychosocial interventions for pediatric early-onset SSD (EOSSD; onset \<18 years) remain limited. Current recommendations emphasize psychotropic interventions, with little empirical support for psychosocial treatments, underscoring the urgent ne…
Inclusion Criteria: * Individuals who are 18 years old or older. * Individuals who are primary caregivers * Individuals are caregivers of a young person who meets criteria for EOSSD per clinician report. * Individuals who are fluent in English. Exclusion Criteria: * Non-fluency in English. * Impaired decision making capacity per PI review.
The intervention consists of 10 sessions. Intervention sessions are held over a secure zoom platform, for 1-1.5 hrs, with up to 10 participants, once/week. The group will be facilitated by licensed psychologist. The group sessions will include, 1) Introductions, Goal Setting, Group Norms, Overview of Group, 2) Psychosis Psychoeducation, 3) Developmental Considerations, 4) Mental Health Systems \& Collaborating with Schools, 5) Role of Stress and Decreasing Stress in the Home, 6) Communication Skills, 7) Health Behaviors, 8) Coping Skills \& The Science of Psychosis, 9) Medications \& Prevention Planning, 10) Goal Setting \& Wrap-Up.
Participants in the Waitlist group will receive treatment as usual (parent support and guidance from child's clinician, individual therapy for child, and psychopharmacological medication management for their child).