Evolution of Representations Regarding Family Relations in the Development and Course of Schizophrenia

Abstract

The study considers the scientific views on the role of family relationships in the development and progress of schizophrenia, which have undergone a serious transformation during the last century. Earlier on, adepts of the psychoanalytic approach considered certain patterns of early interactions with the mother and significant others as a pathogen contributing to the development of schizophrenia in children, which caused stigmatization and significant distress of the patients’ relatives. According to the modern approach, close relatives of the patients are viewed firstly as people suffering in their situation and requiring psychological support, and secondly as one of the main factors defining the patient’s rehabilitation potential. The modern views refer to the fact that adequate family relationships can positively influence the opportunities of social adaptation of the patient, reduce the disease recurrence and contribute to an increased compliance. At the same time, negative relationships produce the opposite effect. Thus, examining the peculiarities of the patient’s family relations can be considered an undoubtedly important task, together with developing and implementing specialized psychosocial family interventions.