Psychosocial interventions for family caregivers of individuals diagnosed with first-episode psychosis: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Family caregivers of individuals with first-episode psychosis face significant psychological and emotional challenges. Psychosocial interventions are essential in addressing these burdens. PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions applied to family caregivers of patients with first-episode psychosis. METHODS: Literature databases such as "Medline, PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus" were searched for studies written only in English using the following keywords "first episode/new onset/early psychosis, first-episode/recent-onset schizophrenia, caregiver, family caregiver, psychosocial interventions, and family intervention". RESULTS: Interventions included bibliotherapy, motivational interviewing-based psychoeducation, and cognitive-behavioral psychoeducation. Positive effects included reduced caregiver burden and improved coping skills. However, long-term sustainability remains under-investigated. CONCLUSIONS: Psychosocial interventions for caregivers of patients with first-episode psychosis are effective short-term. More longitudinal studies are needed. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42024603938.