Effect of a logotherapy-based psychoeducational program on interpersonal guilt, self-efficacy, and resilience in patients with schizophrenia: a quasi-experimental study

Abstract

Background Patients suffering from schizophrenia experience significant impairments in emotional, cognitive, and social functioning, leading to reduced resilience and self-efficacy along with increased feelings of interpersonal guilt. Although pharmacological interventions help in reducing the symptoms, the existential aspects of the healing process can go unattended. The aim of the current research was to understand the effectiveness of logotherapybased psychoeducational program on interpersonal guilt, self-efficacy, and resilience in schizophrenia patients. Methods In this quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study, the effectiveness of a logotherapy-based psychoeducational program was tested using a seven-week, 13-session program, administered to 45 stable patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Arabic-validated instruments were used to measure resilience, self-efficacy, and interpersonal guilt. Results The results showed that there were significant increases in the variables of resilience, t (44)=4.956, p<. .001, Cohen’s d=0.91, after the completion of the intervention. The results also revealed that interpersonal guilt failed to achieve statistical significance, t (44)=1.388, p=.172, Cohen’s d=0.21, after the completion of the intervention. There was a strong positive relationship between the variables of resiliency and self-efficacy, r=.749, p<. 001. There were no significant relationships between the variables of resiliency and interpersonal guilt, or between the variables of self-efficacy and interpersonal guilt. Conclusions Meaning-centered interventions seem to be a valuable tool in boosting adaptive psychological resources, such as resilience and self-efficacy, in people with schizophrenia. The failure to improve interpersonal guilt suggests that the problem could need a considerably different type of therapeutic approach that focuses on metacognitive issues. The integration of existentially oriented psychoeducation in the treatment appears potentially valuable in assisting the patient in finding their personal meaning, in conjunction with other treatments. The longterm stability and the combination with other treatments in order to approach the issue of interpersonal guilt could be the next step in researching these issues.