Natasha Lyons
Central and North West London NHSFoundation Trust, UK
Title: Carer’s illness beliefs after first episode psychosis: Prevalence, intensity, predictors and factor structure
Biography
Biography: Natasha Lyons
Abstract
Objectives: To illuminate the prevalence, intensity and demographic and clinical predictors, also the factor structure, of carers key illness beliefs, after first episode psychosis (FEP).
Background and aims: Carers key beliefs about psychosis influence their emotional, behavioural and psychiatric status, as well as the healthiness of their relationship with the patient for which they care. However, little is known about the prevalence, predictors or factor-structure of these beliefs after a FEP, so we aimed to analyse this in the world's biggest sample.
Materials and methods: 254 carers of patients with FEP of extremely diverse ethnicities and cultural backgrounds were included in this study based on data from routine Carers Assessments in a London, United Kingdom, Early Intervention in Psychosis service. Twelve key illness beliefs (IPQ-Relatives; Lobban, Barrowclough & Jones, 2005) were statistically tested with 30 sample characteristic variables. Beliefs' prevalence and intensity were described. Inferential statistical analyses comprised univariate and multiple linear regressions to identify predictors independently associated with illness beliefs. Then a principal component analysis with varimaxrotation identified the factor structure.
Results: At FEP key illness beliefs were common and held with moderate intensity. 17 sociodemographic and clinical factors predicted carers’ beliefs (p < 0.05). Principal component analysis yielded three novel factors with eigen values greater than 1, accounting for 63.5% of total variance.
Conclusions: Our results have theoretical implications for the content and organisation of cognitive models of caregiving at FEP. Clinical implications relate to identifying which carers and which key illness beliefs to prioritise for early intervention.