Transactional Communication Disturbances in Families of Male Schizophrenics

• Published in: Family process 1975-06, Vol.14 (2), p.131-160
• Main Authors: WILD, CYNTHIA M., SHAPIRO, LINDA N., GOLDENBERG, LOUISE
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Family/Families; Interaction/Interactions/ Interactional/ Interactionalist/ Interactionalism/ Interactive; Schizophrenia/Schizophrenic/ Schizophrenics; Transaction/Transactions/ Transactional
• ISSN: 0014-7370; 1545-5300
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1545-5300.1975.00131.x

Criteria were developed for scoring the interaction of families (mother, father, son) of schizophrenics, psychiatrically hospitalized nonschizophrenic controls, and normal controls, on transactional Attention Difficulties, Closure Difficulties, Problem‐Solving Efficiency, and Dominance. These variables were scored by observers watching the interaction, from tapes, and from transcripts of the sessions. Tape‐scoring was the most efficient and effective in discriminating the three groups. Mothers', couples' (mother and father), and families' total Amorphous Attention Difficulties scores were higher in the schizophrenic than in the normal control group; but families of both hospitalized and normal controls were distinguished from families of schizophrenics only when mothers' Amorphous Difficulties and fathers' Closure Difficulties were considered together. The groups were similar on Problem‐Solving Efficiency. Fathers of schizophrenics were most Dominant, both within their families and compared with fathers in the other two groups.