Assessing the functional value of relatives' knowledge about schizophrenia: a preliminary report.

An instrument for assessing and evaluating what relatives know about schizophrenia was evaluated as both a pre- and a post-test for an educational programme. The Knowledge About Schizophrenia Interview (KASI) places emphasis on the functional value of the reported knowledge rather than on the recall of information; it is quick, easy to administer, can be rated reliably, and has face-validity for the relative. The educational programme increased scores from pre-test to a post-test one week after the programme. Relatives with high criticism ratings on the Camberwell Family Interview had lower scores at both tests. Relatives of less chronic patients showed lower scores at pre-test and acquired significantly more information from the programme, while relatives of more chronic patients were less influenced by the information sessions.