Feasibility Trial of a Parent Peer-Co-Led Caregiver Group for Pediatric Early Onset Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

While early onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders are among the most debilitating psychiatric illnesses, evidence-based treatment for this population is limited. This study evaluates the feasibility and acceptability of a parent peer co-led group intervention for caregivers of youth with Early Onset Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder to support further refinement. Caregivers of youth with Early Onset Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder will be invited to participate. Participants will be assigned to either the treatment group or the wait-list control group. Those in the treatment group will receive the group intervention immediately at study start and wait-list participants will be invited to participate following completion of the study. The group intervention consists of 10 group therapy intervention sessions covering psychosis psychoeducation (e.g. symptoms monitoring, stress \& stress management, family communication skills, and coping skills). Feasibility will be assessed through recruitment and retention, acceptability through the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire. Secondary aims include effectiveness using Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and qualitative feedback from participants.