This study was designed to examine the effects of a solution-focused group counseling program on the family burden, active coping, expressed emotion, and family support in schizophrenic patients and their families.

The subjects consisted of 48 schizophrenic patients and 56 families. Twenty-four schizophrenic patients and 28 families were assigned to both the experimental and control groups. The solution-focused group counseling program was conducted for the families of the experimental group, but not for the control group or the patients of the experimental group.

There was a significant greater decrease in scores of family burden and expressed emotion in the experimental groups than the control groups. There was a larger increase in active coping scores in the experimental groups than the control groups, but it was not significant. There was no significant difference between the two groups in family support scores.

This program may be an effective nursing intervention program for families with schizophrenic members.