Clinical Research Directory

The Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Psychoeducation on Internalized Stigma in Individuals With Bipolar Disorder

Since ancient times, societies have exhibited negative, discriminatory, labeling, and stigmatizing attitudes toward mental disorders and individuals with psychiatric conditions. This situation has negatively affected individuals with mental disorders in many aspects. Over time, individuals with mental illness adopt the stigma they experience and subsequently begin to suffer from internalized stigma. Internalized stigma, or "self-stigmatization," is the adoption of society's negative perceptions-such as being dangerous or inadequate-by the individual with the mental illness themselves. The individual gradually internalizes the prejudices, discrimination, and exclusion present in society. For instance, the societal prejudice that "one cannot be friends with individuals with bipolar disorder" manifests in the patient as "this is true, I cannot be friends with anyone." Consequently, individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder experience internalized stigma.Psychiatric patients must contend not only with the challenges brought by their illness but also with internalized stigma. Internalized stigma in individuals with mental disorders has detrimental effects on recovery. While experiencing feelings of guilt and shame, psychiatric patients suffering from internalized stigma particularly tend to hide their illness, avoid seeking help for treatment, and face adverse processes regarding treatment compliance. Furthermore, due to the impact of stigmatization, they withdraw from society, experiencing a reduction in social interaction and loneliness. It is well-documented that individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder experience non-compliance with treatment due to the recurrent and chronic nature of the illness. This situation increases the risk of internalized stigma in patients. Studies demonstrate that patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder experience internalized stigma. Moreover, it stands out as one of the psychiatric illness groups that experiences the highest levels of stigmatization.The management of mental illnesses is a multidimensional framework that requires not only clinical interventions but also the active participation of the patient and social support systems. In this context, psychoeducation is defined as a systematic and evidence-based psychotherapeutic intervention method aimed at informing patients and their families about the disease process, strengthening coping mechanisms, and improving quality of life. Moving beyond traditional approaches, psychoeducation aims to transform the individual and their environment from passive recipients into competent stakeholders in illness management. The fundamental building blocks of psychoeducation comprise medical information regarding the illness, problem-solving strategies, effective communication skills, and the restoration of self-confidence. While these components enable individuals to gain insight into their illness, critical objectives such as managing potential crisis moments and minimizing suicide risk come to the forefront. The literature emphasizes that psychoeducation is one of the most effective supportive methods in preventing relapses and increasing adherence to treatment. Consequently, psychoeducation is a holistic approach aimed at empowering patients and their families by focusing on developing their skills to cope with psychosocial difficulties.Studies have shown that psychoeducation is effective in reducing internalized stigma in patients with bipolar disorder. A quasi-experimental study suggested that psychoeducation reduces internalized stigma and can be implemented in hospitals. A systematic review of individuals with bipolar disorder found that psychoeducation, as a complementary strategy to pharmacotherapy, reduced the frequency of new mood episodes, the duration of hospitalization, and non-compliance with medication. The unique value of this study within the Turkish sample lies in the scarcity of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the specific effect of structured psychoeducation on internalized stigma in patients with bipolar disorder, alongside the inclusion of a three-month post-intervention follow-up test. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of psychoeducation on the level of internalized stigma in individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Preparation for Sports Retirement: Study Protocol

Background: This article presents the protocol for a randomised controlled trial designed to develop and evaluate a psychoeducational intervention aimed at preparing high-performance athletes for the challenges and opportunities presented by the transition to retirement from sport. The protocol was developed through a literature review and consultations with experts in sports psychology and career transition. Methods: The study will be conducted at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Salamanca (Spain). High-performance athletes aged 30 or older who are close to retirement or who have retired in the last five years will be recruited. Participants will be randomly assigned to two groups: the intervention group, which will undergo a psychoeducational programme consisting of 12 sessions over 3 months; and the control group, which will receive a minimum educational programme of one session. All participants will complete initial and final assessments, as well as a 3-month follow-up, collecting sociodemographic data and applying various psychological, social and health assessment instruments. Discussion: This protocol describes a comprehensive psychoeducational intervention aimed at improving quality of life and attitudes towards retirement from sport, increasing life satisfaction, psychological flexibility, perceived social support, general health, self-efficacy and self-regulation, and reducing negative stereotypes associated with the end of a sporting career. The evidence generated will guide future interventions, policies, and educational programmes to promote a healthy, active, and satisfying transition to the post-sport stage.

The Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)-Based Psychoeducation on Cognitive Flexibility and Rumination in the Elderly

This study aimed to investigate the effect of psychoeducation on rumination and cognitive flexibility in elderly individuals residing in nursing homes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)-based psychoeducation has recently been applied to multiple specific groups around the world and in our country. In general, executive functioning skills and, more specifically, cognitive flexibility appear to be important for the ability to use certain CBT techniques; however, considering that these skills naturally decline with age, further research is needed. It is anticipated that the results of this study will contribute to applications in the field of psychiatric nursing.

Psychoeducation Program for Parents of Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Having and caring for a child with disabilities brings emotional, social and economic difficulties for many families. Families may experience many physiological and psychological problems due to the stress and anxiety they experience. In addition, it is seen that families with children with disabilities give up their existing roles, reduce their participation in social activities, and reach stagnation in their social lives. Mothers are affected psychologically more than fathers and feel lonely. It is stated that mothers believe that they cannot afford everything in the face of the responsibilities they carry and accordingly, they experience emotional and psychological problems such as stress, anxiety, depression, absent-mindedness, forgetfulness and tantrums. Living with a child with a disability causes family members to experience different emotions as mentioned above; families may frequently experience fear, anxiety, guilt, anger and depression. It is reported that mothers of children with DMD experience depression, anxiety about the future and uncertainty more than mothers of healthy children. Families of children with DMD reported that they felt tired and fatigued during the process of caring for the child and had difficulties in participating in social activities and allocating time for themselves. Most of these families stated that they needed psychological and social support. Therefore, it is important to address the psychiatric aspects of families with children with DMD during the disease process. Parental health contributes positively to the health and adaptation of the family in general. Examining the psychiatric symptoms caused by the problems experienced by families related to DMD and how they cope with this stress will be useful in evaluating and addressing these families. In addition, the social support that families with children with disabilities receive from their immediate environment and institutions is also an important issue. It has been reported that social support from relatives, friends, neighbors, organizations and communities increases the psychological resilience levels of families, they feel that they are not alone in the face of problems, and their anxiety levels decrease. In the literature, it is generally mentioned that when the culture of pediatric care is supportive and family-oriented, the care of the patient will undergo a change when transitioning from pediatric care to the adult period. However, studies evaluating the problems experienced by families in the care of patients with DMD, psychiatric symptoms, ways of coping with stress and perceived social support are insufficient. It is important to evaluate the problems experienced by parents in the families of children with DMD in developing skills to cope with the disease process and disease-related problems, and then to provide training in these areas. Because if parents, who are in the role of caregivers, are equipped with knowledge and skills in this context, they will provide better care and be more useful to their children with DMD. In line with this information, the aim of this study was to evaluate the problems experienced by parents of children with DMD, psychiatric symptoms, coping skills with stress and the level of social support they perceive and to implement a psychosocial support-based psychoeducation program related to these areas.

The Effect of Psychosocial Skills Focused Group Psychoeducation in Schizophrenia Patients

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of psychosocial skills-oriented group psychoeducation on functional recovery, treatment adherence and mental well-being in patients with schizophrenia. This research will be conducted in Giresun Community Mental Health Center. The study was planned as a randomized controlled pretest-posttest design. In addition to the Sociodemographic Information Form prepared by the researchers, the Functional Recovery Scale in Schizophrenia, the Modified Morisky Treatment Adherence Scale and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale will be used to collect the data. The sample size was calculated as 34 people (experimental group= 17, control group= 17). Forms and scales will be applied to the experimental and control groups before psychoeducation and scales will be applied again to both groups after psychoeducation.