Aim: To investigate the association between parents' encounter with reliable mental health professionals and disengagement from initial treatment among patients with schizophrenia.
Methods: This study was a part of the Reaching People Early Tokyo Survey. Participants were recruited from groups for family members of people with mental ill-health around Tokyo. Self-report questionnaires completed by 467 parents were analysed.
Results: Disengagement rate was 16.2% among patients whose parents met reliable mental health professionals within the initial 6 months, but 33.7% among patients whose parents did not report meeting such professionals. The odds of disengagement was less than half in the first group than in the second group (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.21-0.67).
Conclusions: Establishing trust with family members might prevent disengagement from initial treatment among patients with schizophrenia. Mental health professionals should spend time to build a trusting relationship with families within the initial period of treatment.
Keywords: disengagement; family; initial period of treatment; schizophrenia; trust in mental health professional.
© 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.