How do psychiatric patients experience interactions with their relatives?

Numerous studies have established the prognostic validity of family attitudes and interactional behaviors in psychiatric disorders. However, most have relied on observer-rated rather than patient-rated measures of the family context. Bipolar patients (N?=?31) rated their relatives' verbal behaviors in problem-solving discussions using the Patient's Experiences of a Relative's Affective Style (PERAS) scale. The PERAS had acceptable reliability and internal consistency. Patients' PERAS judgments of the frequencies of harsh and benign criticisms in relatives correlated positively with an observer's affective style (AS) ratings of these same behaviors in relatives. However, patients' ratings of intrusiveness and support in relatives were unrelated to the observer's AS ratings. The PERAS is a promising measure of how patients experience their family interactions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)