INTERVENTION EVALUATION: GROUP PROCESSES
Size and Composition. The group consisted of 9 people (3 men and 6 women), all of whom had been diagnosed with some form of schizophrenia. Group members received group therapy at Didi Hirsch, a community mental health agency which offers a variety of community health services, only one of which is group psychotherapy. All group members were taking prescribed medication (psychotropic drugs) which they were required to take daily or else risk hospitalization for a psychotic episode.
There is a substantial body of literature that recommends group therapy for use with schizophrenics. For example, O'Brien (1983) has noted that through group therapy, schizophrenics can learn to overcome their basic mistrust. Also, Kaplan & Sadock (1983) report that group therapy has been found to assist schizophrenics with taking their prescribed medication. Further, Alden, Weddington, Jacobson & Gianturco (1979) as well as Donlon, Rada & Knight (1973) have reported that schizophrenics do well in group settings and enjoy the group interaction. Finally, Kanas (1986) has noted that schizophrenics actually benefit from group therapy more than for individual therapy.
The group structure was open; that is, new members were always welcome to the group while current members were free to leave the group by their own volition. One reason for allowing the group to have an open structure was the findings reported by Kaplan and Sadock (1983) that a variety of different types (heterogeneity) has positive value for group interaction; in this regard, it was felt that the open group structure would encourage this heterogeneity. Over a period of two years, a pattern of new entrees and departures established the group as staying fairly consistent at nine members within a range that varied from a one time low of six members and a one time high of twelve members.
The group, which was run by two co-leaders (one psycho...