Development and Effectiveness of an Interpersonal Relationship Improvement Program for Inpatients with Chronic Schizophrenia: Quasi-experimental/Non-randomised Evaluation

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop and test effects of an interpersonal relationship improvement program on self-esteem, interpersonal relationship, and subjective happiness for inpatients with chronic schizophrenia. Methods: A non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design enrolling 44 patients with schizophrenia in a closed ward (22 each in experimental and control groups) was used. The program (8 sessions over 4 weeks) was based on Swanson's care theory. Self-esteem, relationships, and overall well-being were tested. Data were collected from February 24 to April 14, 2024 and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 23.0 with descriptive statistics, normality tests, x2 tests, Fisher's exact test, paired t-tests, repeated measures ANOVA, and independent t-tests. Results: The interpersonal relationship improvement program effectively increased self-esteem (F=7.41, p=.001), interpersonal relationship (F=5.18, p=.008), and subjective happiness (F=6.12, p=.003) of inpatients with schizophrenia. Conclusion: An interpersonal relationship improvement program is an effective intervention for increasing self-esteem, interpersonal relationship and subjective happiness of inpatients with schizophrenia. It can be used for social rehabilitation of hospitalized chronic schizophrenia patients by improving their interpersonal relationships.