Abstract:
The evaluation of a group-training programm (ZERA) to support the vocational rehabilitation of schizophrenic patients is being presented. In a controlled study with 26 Patients and randomized distribution to experimental and control group both groups participated in the normal vocational programm in a workshop for people with mental handicaps, the experimental group (EG) also took part in the ZERA-programm. The EG showed after group-training a significant increase of knowledge both about the mental illness and the social and vocational supporting system, in control group (CG) there was no significant increse of knowlegde. Generally, in stress-coping-strategies, the need of social support was increased, the EG showed an increasing amount of strategies that lead to distraction and compensation, whereas the CG showed an increasing amount of more passiv-depressive strategies. Analysing the individual cases points to the importance of activ, stress-reducing strategies to prognosis. A correlation between the significant increase of fatalistic externality in the EG and both the psychoeducational contents of the training programm and the availability of suitable stress-coping-strategies is discussed. Improvements in vocational skills could be found in concret defined single problems. Motivation, marked by the utilization of the vocational training programm, was significantly improved in some concrete areas. Participants were highly satisfied with the group-training-programm, they gained orientation and more structure. In a one-year catamnestic study, the EG showed significantly less breaking off the vocational training without a new perspective.