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Home > Arhiva > 2023 > Numar: 1 > Multifamily Group Therapy: Impact on well-being and Communication within Families

 Multifamily Group Therapy: Impact on well-being and Communication within Families

    by:
  • Snaebjorn Omar Gudjonsson (Department of Psychiatry, Akureyri Hospital, Akureyri, Iceland E-mail: snaebjorng@sak.is)
  • Aslaug Felixdottir (Department of Psychiatry, Akureyri Hospital, Akureyri, Iceland)
  • Claudio Fuenzalida (Centre de Terapia Interfamiliar, Elche, Spain)
  • Jocelyn Deloyer (Centre Neuro Psychiatrique Saint-Martin, Namur, Belgium)
  • Bernard Gerritsma (Department of Psychiatry, Akureyri Hospital, Akureyri, Iceland)
  • Javier Sempere (Centre de Terapia Interfamiliar, Elche, Spain)
  • Serge Mertens (Centre Neuro Psychiatrique Saint-Martin, Namur, Belgium)

Multifamily Group Therapy refers to a model of therapeutic intervention in which more than one family is treated simultaneously. The aim of this prospective, descriptive clinical study was to evaluate the impact of Multifamily Group Therapy on family well-being and communication. The sample consisted of 13 participants receiving treatment at the outpatient psychiatric unit of Akureyri Hospital, Iceland. Three questionnaires based on the Calgary Family Nursing model, developed in Iceland, were administered at the start and at the end of the treatment to evaluate family support: FPSQ (Family Perceived Support Questionnaire), EFFQ (Expressive Family Functioning Questionnaire), FIBQ (Family Illness Beliefs Questionnaire) and DASS (Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale). This pilot study’s results indicate that Multifamily Group Therapy decreases depressive symptoms during the treatment period, there is a tendency for increased family support and emotional functioning. Finally, improvements regarding family attitudes towards illness are suggested.


Keywords: Multifamily Group therapy, Calgary Model, Family communication, Family well-being