An open clinical trial assessing a novel training program for social cognitive impairment in schizophrenia

Objective: Social cognition is profoundly impaired in patients with schizophrenia. This study describes ‘Mental-State Reasoning Training for Social Cognitive Impairment’ (SoCog-MSRT), a 5-week program developed to improve social cognition in patients with schizophrenia. We aimed to investigate the f...

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Published in:Australasian psychiatry : bulletin of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2013-04, Vol.21 (2), p.122-126
Main Authors: Marsh, Pamela, Langdon, Robyn, McGuire, Jonathan, Harris, Anthony, Polito, Vince, Coltheart, Max
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Cognitive Therapy
Female
Humans
Intelligence
Male
Memory, Short-Term
Psychotic Disorders - complications
Psychotic Disorders - rehabilitation
Schizophrenia - complications
Schizophrenia - rehabilitation
Schizophrenic Psychology
Social Behavior Disorders - complications
Social Behavior Disorders - rehabilitation
Theory of Mind
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Summary:Objective: Social cognition is profoundly impaired in patients with schizophrenia. This study describes ‘Mental-State Reasoning Training for Social Cognitive Impairment’ (SoCog-MSRT), a 5-week program developed to improve social cognition in patients with schizophrenia. We aimed to investigate the feasibility of implementing SoCog-MSRT in a rehabilitation setting and to evaluate whether our training methods produced improvements. Method The feasibility and benefits of SoCog-MSRT were evaluated in an open clinical trial with 14 participants with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Training comprised 10 twice-weekly sessions, for 5 weeks, with a pre- and post-training assessment. Results: There were significant improvements on: (a) a classic false-belief test of Theory of Mind (ToM); (b) inferring complex mental states from the eyes; and (c) a self-reported measure of social understanding. Some of these improvements were associated with baseline levels of working memory and premorbid Intelligence Quotient (IQ). Conclusions SoCog-MSRT can improve ToM abilities and social understanding, but individuals with poorer working memory and lower premorbid IQ may be less able to benefit from this type of training.
ISSN:1039-8562
1440-1665
DOI:10.1177/1039856213475683