van Gent 1991.
| Methods | Allocation: randomisation without methods specification. Blinded assessments: not reported. Duration: 12 months. Analysis: Analysis of Variance for repeated measuresand Wilcoxon test. N of centres: 1 Country: Netherlands | |
| Participants | Diagnosis: bipolar patients through DSM‐III‐R criteria, by two independent psychiatrists. N: 39 (19 in experimental group and 20 in control group). Age: Experimental group (partners) ‐ mean 42 (sd 12); control ‐ 56 (sd 8). Experimental group (patients) ‐ 44 (sd 11); control ‐ 55 (sd 8). Gender: distribuition not mentioned. Race: not mentioned. Settingnot mentioned. History: onset of illness in means (SD) of age for experimental group 26(10) and control 36(10). Duration of illness 18(10) years and 18(11) years respectively. Number of hospitalizations 4.4(4.5) and 4.4(2.8) respectively. | |
| Interventions | 1 ‐ Psychoeducation: Experimental group: requested to fill questionaires and take part in 5 sessions of structured psychoeducational intervention regarding the information about desease and medication plus practical advice. 2 ‐ Control group: only requested to fill questionaires. All patients were in pharmacological treatment with lithium. | |
| Outcomes | USED: 1 ‐ Patients' total symptoms (SCL‐90‐total), before/after intervention. 2 ‐ Patients' anxiety (subscale SCL‐90‐Anxiety and Trait Anxiety Inventory), before/after intervention. 3 ‐ Medication compliance (compliant or not ‐ non compliance defined as a difference of more than 0.3mmol/l in serum lithium levels without changing the medication). 4 ‐ Rehospitalizations. 5 ‐ Dropouts NOT USED: 6 ‐ Partners' knowledge of the illness. 7 ‐ Partners' social strategies. | |
| Notes | ||
| Risk of bias | ||
| Bias | Authors' judgement | Support for judgement |
| Allocation concealment? | Unclear risk | B ‐ Unclear |
BPRS: Brief Psychiatry Rating Scale DSM‐III: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ‐ Third Edition DSM‐III‐R: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ‐ Third Edition Revised DSM‐IV: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ‐ Fourth Edition N: total number of participants in the study n: number of participants in a group of comparison SADS‐C: Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia ‐ Change Version SCID: Structured Clinical Interview (DSM) SCID‐P: Structured Clinical Interview‐ Patient Version SCL: Symptom Checklist SD: Standard Deviation IMPORTANT: The distinction between bipolar I and II disorders became clear and formal after DSM‐IV, so in some of included studies this difference in diagnosis is not mentioned. In the Miller 2004 the authors did not mention a confirmation diagnostic procedure after the application of DSM‐III‐R criteria, but they have considered the sample as composed of bipolar I patients. In another context it should be clarified, but we did not consider indispensable the distinction between bipolar I and II disorders, for the objectives of this review.