Polish doctors are on RG and can provide you with a translation:

Psychiatr Pol. 1997 Sep-Oct;31(5):595-606.

[Psychoeducation in schizophrenia relapse prevention].

Chładzińska-Kiejna S, Górna R, Bak O.

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a chronic disease, with phase course. Most of patients (about 78%) experience more than one episode of the disease in the course of life. Pharmacotherapy is the standard method of troating schizophrenia. Since the middle of the 70 a new orientation of therapy of schizophrenia has been developing. Its main goal is prophylaxis, which combines pharmacotherapy and psychosocial treatment. In the paper we discuss the term "relapse of schizophrenia" and researches concerning the index of relapses and dynamics of the disease. We present theoretical presumptions which are the base of psychoeducational programs, that is, stress-vulnerability model. The main purposes of psychoeducation in schizophrenia are also discussed. The article contains current review of the researches relative to effectiveness of psychoeducational programs in relapse of schizophrenia prevention.

Article [Psychoeducation in schizophrenia relapse prevention]

Hello Richard

From my point of view it is essential  how you would like to describe your patients.

See this colleague above, it is classic approach in schizophrenia within this group of patients, who haven't got a similar capacity to cope with stress as healthy people.

Another groups are anxiety disorders and depressive disorders.

I need to tell you that currently a lot of companies can offer you equipment , which can measure full physiological profile , together with proper markers.

The perfect example Is Thought Technology.

I am of the opinion that  that stress is one of the major risk factor for many illness,

therefore your ideas are very important with regards to many dimensions.

Best wishes

Chris K

Thank you for the responses.

Beatrice I am chasing up a copy of the article you suggested.

I have used the model clinically for many years, but am now considering a translational project to increase the uptake of the model by clinicians.

It is very popular in different contexts- caregiver stress being one- look for Vitaliano et al articles

Here is another one

Aschbacher K, Kornfeld S, Picard M, Puterman E, Havel PJ, Stanhope K, Lustig

RH, Epel E. Chronic stress increases vulnerability to diet-related abdominal fat,

oxidative stress, and metabolic risk. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2014

Aug;46:14-22.

I have been trying to develop a quantitative framework for this kind of model (http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/13/19). I think that it fits the epidemiology better than other models for depression at least. This doesn't really address your concerns about how to assess outcome. 

Are we talking diathesis stress hypothesis? There is quite a lot of ongoing research into genetic contribution to vulnerability to becoming depressed in face of adverse life situations, including stress both acute and chronic..  Schizophrenia is being researched this way also, and an article was recently published re schizophrenia responding well to cognitive therapy (will try to retrieve).  I should think the approach at beginning of this thread (Clancy) would fit well with CBT,

Well this topic is not my field but you may be interested in this book:

Dekker J, Jonghe F de, Goris C.Steun, stress, kracht en kwetsbaarheid in de psychiatrie.Assen: van Gorcum 1997. (ISBN 90-232-3243-7). 

This is a dutch book. The title can be translated as 'Support, stress, strength and vulnerability in psychiatry'. Prof. de Jonghe describes the scientific basis for the 'SSKK' (in English: 'SSSV') model.

Maybe you can 'google'' and contact  Prof. emeritus F. de Jonghe or someone of his co-workers.

Kind regards.

Wilhelm Garenfeld 

Hi Richard

I have just been browsing through the net looking for bits written up on the SV model when I happened upon your post.   It is of course a year later now since you posted your query.  However  I am a lecturer in Mental Health Nursing at the National University of Ireland Galway Ireland.  I use this model a lot to explain the root causes of mental illness to my students.   I believe very strongly that it has a place in psychoeducation.  Like you I also have a keen interest in the area of psych oeducation.  In fact my PhD (on hold now) looks at using psycho education as an early treatment of anxiety.  I am contacting you to know how you have got on in your quest for information as I am tentatively exploring the idea of writing an article on the SV model but using the Biopsychosocial model to explain how Vulnerabilities and stressors impact on our mental health.  I have developed my own graph including both models which my students have said is very helpful to them.   I am interested in hearing from you or others with an interest in these areas.

Kind regards

Agnes

Dear Richard, 

you can contact the authors to these papers here on RG. They all elaborated the stress-vulnerability model. 

Article Life Stress, Coping and Comorbid Youth: An Examination of th...

Article The stress-vulnerability model of suicidal behavior : a cros...

Article The stress-vulnerability model how does stress impact on men...

Article Psychosis: An experiential resolution & understanding of fir...

Conference Paper A STRESS-VULNERABILITY MODEL FOR CORRECTIONS

I am not sure if this approach may be of interest, but...,

I work in the psychiatric - forensic field since years. A lawyer and myself were sucessful in obtaining a financial lifelong help for a 26 years old person. I wrote a forensic - psychiatric report for a patient who developed schizophrenia during the military service.

In the positive judgement, the main judge accepted fully the arguments based on a diathesis - stress - vulnerability model I explained.  I wrote that the very high stress perceived at the place he was during the military service (Spanish - Morrocan border), as well as the poor peer support he received, were the necessary stressful conditions to develop an acute paranoic psychosis that developed in a full blown schizophrenia.

These arguments worked against a traditional conception in the Spanish Army that concluded that shizophrenia was or is a "endogenous illness" that hasn´t to do will enviromental / stress factors.

I wonder how is the situation in other countries...?

Dear Richard, 

some suggestions:

Article Psychosis: Affective States of Consciousness & Nervous Syste...

Article Inflammatory Factors Mediate Vulnerability to a Social Stres...

Article Vulnerability and Resilience to Stress and Immune and Neuroe...

Thank you for these responses.

I am interested in using the stress-vulnerability/stress-diathesis model as a broad framework in which to embed our mental health service's biological and psychosocial treatments. I am using digital signage to provide service users with an overview of the model.

Richard:

Your question brings up a fertile field of current research, as summarized by Lukas Pezawas’ “Commentary” in the October 15 issue of Biological Psychiatry. Several studies in that issue, itself titled “Serotonin, Mood and Anxiety,” shed increasing light on biological vulnerability to stress. Your use of such findings as a psychoeducation form of therapy sounds most promising; as the people you work with become aware of their inherent challenges, perhaps there are specific cognitive strategies they use to deal with them, similar to Beck’s Cognitive Therapy. It is intriguing to speculate on how you are embedding these new insights. Thank you for bringing this approach into the conversation. Lucy Anne

Many are now calling it resilience research used in different context - veterans health, mass disasters, children and women's health i nthe context of early trauma, aging, HIV, etc

Helen:

     "Resilience research" has a nice positive ring to it, leaving room for moderators such as social support, psychotherapy and medication to cope with genetic, epigenetic and other biological vulnerabilities to stress, both acute and chronic.  Is there an affordable way to test for specific genetic susceptibility?    A recent (2015) study of interaction between 5-HTTLPR and environment is a study by Vrijsen et al in the Journal of Affective Disorders (186, 83-89).  Lucy Anne

Hi I am just looking into the stress vulnerability model for treating Bipolar Affective Disorder Is anyone aware of research in this area? Thanks

For all students, it might be worth thinking of a common example where you are vulnarab;le to swtrss. So getting home10.30 at night after some alcoholic beverages

.

So minor stress is being 10 minutes to get to bus stop (should be able to do it if you walk fast). Additional strss is if you need to find a toilet before getting on (sp. if you are a girl). even more strss is if the bus is late. more stress is if your phone has lost charge. Approaching vulnarabilty threashold is if you are short of money for the fare. vulnarability threashold breached if you have lost your wallet, cannot phone home because phone is not working. Maximum vulnarability (major panic) is if you are in newcastle, and home is Sunderland.