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Peer-based programs for families of patients with severe mental illness have been shown to confer immediate benefit, but few studies have examined their longer-term effects. To explore this issue, investigators analyzed follow-up data on 158 individuals who had been randomized to a National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)–sponsored family-to-family (FTF) program (the control group waited at least 3 months to attend an FTF class). It was previously reported that immediately after the program, FTF participants compared with waiting-list controls showed improvements in anxiety, problem- and emotion-focused coping, and family functioning.
The free, 3-month FTF program consisted of 12 peer-led classes; it featured lectures, discussions, and han…