Abstract
Although there is a clear statistical association between expressed emotion (EE) and schizophrenic relapse, our understanding of the mechanisms underlying this relationship is underdeveloped. This study tested a theoretical model in which caregivers' perceptions of their ill relative's agency underlie the EE-relapse association. To evaluate this model, we completed qualitative and quantitative analyses of narratives provided by individuals caring for a relative with schizophrenia. The results indicate that high-EE caregivers perceive the expression of symptoms as stemming from their ill relative's agency more frequently than low-EE caregivers. This was true for both high-EE-criticism and high-EE-emotional overinvolvement caregivers. High-EE and low-EE caregivers did not differ in their perceptions of the role of their ill relative's agency with regard to the control of symptoms. The findings suggest that EE may be a proxy risk factor for caregivers' perceptions of their ill relative's agency.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 41-60 |
Number of pages | 20 |
Journal | Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry |
Volume | 33 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 2009 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Expressed emotion
- Human agency
- Narrative
- Schizophrenia
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)
- Anthropology
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
- Psychiatry and Mental health